Second Chances
by Angel Reaper
Summary: (RB, suggested YYY & MM) Bakura has feelings for Ryou, but abuses him horribly. 1 night, Ryou commits suicide before Bakura can tell him that he loves him. 1 day, Bakura meets Ryou's reincarnation, who is...a girl? Interesting...see how things turn out!
1. The Suicide

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!!  
  
Diane: *glares at AR*...  
  
AR: *sighs* What's wrong now?  
  
Diane: Why Ryou?! Why not...Malik or Seto?!  
  
AR: Ryou's PERFECT for this, I can't help it if I'm killing your favorite character, Diane!!  
  
Diane: That's another reason why I'm annoyed at you!! You have this, weird obsession with death and killing people!!!  
  
AR: *rolls eyes* Look at my name, for God's sake, of course I'm interested in death!! And it's just coincidence that Yugi died in "Where Do Angels Go When They Die?" and Ryou's going to die in this fic.  
  
Diane: *glares again* ur a sadistic little hikari....  
  
AR: *halo shining over her head* ^_^ Who me?  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
~ Bakura's POV ~  
  
It's all gone.  
  
What is it, you might ask? My life, my reason for living, and most importantly......my hikari.  
  
Yes, Ryou's gone. Gone forever. He died a couple months ago, right when I realized that...I....have feelings for him.  
  
~ Flashback ~  
  
Ryou opened the door to his poorly kept house and dropped his bookbag by the door. He slid his jacket off, leaving him only in a white T-shirt and jeans. He conciously rubbed a black and blue bruise that was on his left arm, then walked into the kitchen.  
  
So far, it looked like his yami wasn't home yet. Whatever he did in the daytime was a mystery to Ryou, but he had the feeling that he didn't want to know. But knowing Bakura, he was probably terrorizing the neighbors and laughing at them insanely. He smiled bitterly, then grabbed a bar of chocolate and sat down in front of the TV, flipping through random channels until he found something that was a little bit interesting to watch.  
  
The chocolate helped soothe some of the thoughts that he had about the albino tomb robber. He was the one that gave him that bruise on his arm, along with every other injury that covered his body. Underneath the T-shirt he wore, there was a long, thin scar where Bakura had viciously slashed him the night before. There were a couple other various scars, a light pink against his pale white skin.  
  
He froze when he heard the door slam shut. Damn it, he was home. He fought down a small wave of panic and tried to remain calm as his terrifying yami entered, glancing at his hikari before going directly to his room and slammed the shut. Ryou sighed with relief, then bit off a big chunk of chocolate and let it melt in his mouth. At least he hadn't done anything bad.  
  
Meanwhile, Bakura was mulling over the thoughts in his head that had popped into his head when he had walked by his other half. Some of them sounded like this.  
  
'I wonder if I should join him, in case he's lonely and cold. And I wouldn't mind stealing that chocolate bar...from his mouth.'  
  
He jerked himself out of those thoughts and mentally slapped himself. 'I shouldn't think like that. He's my weak pitiful little hikari who can't defend himself from my nightly ritual. Although I sometimes feel a twinge of sorrow when I see him just lying there on the floor, coughing up blood sometimes. Maybe I should help him.....No! Helping others is just a sign of weakness, and I always have to be strong!'  
  
~ End Flashback ~  
  
Heh...how wrong I was then. I might of taken that foolish notion in my head too far one night. I might of harmed my beloved Ryou too much. I might of driven him to the edge to do what he did.  
  
So you see, it might be my fault that my only love is dead.  
  
~ Flashback ~  
  
Pale trembling hands quickly to skim through the medicine cabinet. He had to find those pills before he came back.  
  
He paused, then hacked up his blood hoarsely. When he was done, he wiped the sweat mingled with blood from his forehead, then went back to searching for that certain bottle.  
  
Ryou was tired, tired of getting beaten up everyday, tired of the questions his friends asked him about any bruises that showed, tired of coming home to the same treatment everyday. He was just tired of this life, and what made it miserable for him. Bakura.  
  
Tonight was the last straw. Bakura had gone too far. He had pulled out his favorite knife and brutally thrust it into Ryou's body, an insanely mad look in his eyes. He was lucky that he had missed any vital organs and the blade didn't cut deep, or else his poor hikari would of been dead long ago.  
  
After listening to Ryou shriek loudly for a few minutes, he began to suck and lick the blood around the wound, savoring the taste of the scarlet liquid like candy. Ryou whimpered like a frightened animal. Bakura was too close to his body, and feeling of someone's tongue was a new experience for him. He tried to break free of his firm grip, but the blood loss was making him weak.  
  
'By Ra he tastes good!' Bakura thought, licking his reddened lips clean as the blood flow slowed down and thinned. Ryou had a pained expression on his face, weakly looking down at the blood stains on his ragged and torn shirt. His head was spinning from what had just happened, and the room for some reason wasn't staying still. He felt the floor leave his floors, and darkness claimed him once more.  
  
"Pitiful," the ancient tomb robber sneered, staring at the limp body that laid so gracefully on the worn carpet. After a minute, he picked him up and carried him bridal style over to his bedroom and gently placed him on his bed.  
  
'So peaceful when he sleeps...it's almost cute actually. Sratch that, he IS cute when he sleeps.' He smirked a little, then placed a light kiss on his light's forehead. He then decided that he needed some fresh air to get the coppery scent of blood out of himself and left, inhaling the night air deeply. Maybe he could go and buy something to drink, the taste of Ryou's vital fluids still lingered in his mouth and he wanted to wash it out.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryou awoke to a dull pain that throbbed throughout his body, and he dared not move, in case Bakura was standing over him, waiting to hurt him again. When he was sure that his yami wasn't around, he got up, his legs shaking slightly. He limped over to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, searching for the bottle that he had purchased a long time ago. He should of used it sooner.  
  
He finally found it hidden among the asprin bottles, which he grabbed also. He needed those also in case the other medication didn't work.  
  
Then he hobbled over to the kitchen, where he immediately grabbed a bottle that was in the refrigerator. Heh, his dad should of put it someplace safer than there.  
  
With shaky hands he looked at the first bottle that he had picked up. The label read "Warning: overdosage of iron pills may cause iron poisoning, or even death. Do not take with alchoholic beverages or other medications, as they may mix badly with this medication."  
  
"Good," Ryou whispered, pouring out a handful of the tiny round pills onto the kitchen table. Immediately he began crushing them with a spoon until they were a fine powder, then carefully scooped it into a glass. He did the same procedure with the Tylenol pills, then swept the powdered pills into the same glass as the iron pill powder. Finally, he reached out for a bottle of the wine that had been in the refrigerator for some time and poured it into the glass, watching the dark liquid mix with the powdered medication. He mixed it a little with his finger, then raised his glass up in the air, his hand shaking so hard that he was afraid the glass might drop and smash.  
  
"Here's to you, Bakura. I congragulate you, you've finally accomplished something that you always wanted. Me out of your life," he said bitterly. Ryou took his first sip of the odd concoction, and continued speaking, tears streaking his face.  
  
"I thought that if I put up with it long enough, you would stop, you would get bored. But the thing is, you only got even more fascinated with my screams, my crying, my begging. You kept on going harder and harder, pushing every single button. Well, tonight's the night when you've pushed the final one. Cheers..."  
  
He gulped down the burning drink, then bursted into tears. "I should hate you for what you've done, never forgive you until my dying day. But the truth is, I've already forgiven you for what you've done to me over the past years. You've been forgiven long ago. And then, I started to fall for you, you and your damn gorgeous body. But the love was mingled with pain, pain that you would never love me. I'm only your toy, someone to have fun with by beating me when you've had a lousy day. I kept secretly hoping that you would have a change of heart and admit you love me, and that we could have a relationship. But you never did."  
  
Ryou drank the last bit of his mixture and then limped back up to his bedroom to lie on his bed. He just had to wait for the medicine to kick in, and then all of his pain would be gone.  
  
As the minutes passed, his breathing grew light and shallow, and his eyes were fluttering open and close. He curled up into a ball and slowly let the drowsiness wash over his body. He yawned, and laid there with the last few moments of his life left.  
  
"So this is why I die, my dear Bakura. Because of what you have shown me. We can never be together, because you don't share the same feelings that I...do..." Ryou whispered with his last breath. He sighed, and never took another breath of air. His body grew slack and limp, and blood no longer pulse through his body.  
  
It was quite some time before Bakura returned home, the smell of beer in his breath. He wasn't exactly drunk, but he wasn't sober either. But either way, he had finally decided that it was time for his Ryou to know that he did care about him. Even if Ryou hated him for all of the beatings, at least he would know how deeply sorry he was.  
  
"Ryou?" he called out. There was no answer. Well, maybe he was still asleep. He started walking to his bedroom, but froze once he saw what was on the table. A half-empty bottle of iron pills, a half-empty bottle of asprin, and a wine bottle. He inspected the table closer, his heart sinking into his stomach. There was a faint powdery substance on the table, and an empty glass that smelled like the wine. Oh Ra, please no...  
  
"Ryou?" He called out again. Still nothing. He quickly walked over to the stairs, but the feeling of urgency made him run up them taking the stairs two or three at a time. He reached the top, and ran down the hall to Ryou's bedroom. He kicked the door open, even though it was already unlocked. He bit his lip when he saw Ryou lying there with his back to the door.  
  
"Oh gods no, please don't let him be...gone yet."  
  
He hesitantly took a step towards the bed, then another, then another, until he was at the side of Ryou's bed. He cleared his throat, then reached out to turn his hikari over.  
  
"Ryou, are you there? If you are, wake up...please."  
  
His skin was so cold and pale, paler than usual. There was barely any touch of color left, except white of course. And his skin felt like ice cubes to his sensitive fingertips.  
  
"Please Ryou, d-don't be dead. I-I need to talk to you..."  
  
He gently opened his mouth and cautiously sniffed his breath. The scent of wine invaded his senses, and he felt something wet run down his cheek. Blinking to try to prevent the tears from conimg down, he wiped away the one that managed to escape.  
  
"...You shouldn't of done it, you know. You should of waited, or not done it at all. I was planning on telling you something tonight. But I guess..."  
  
His voice started to cracked a little, and he eventually just let the tears fall down onto his lap. He held Ryou's hand and just cried, his heart aching with every tear that fell from his eyes.  
  
'My hikari, now you'll never know...I love you, really I do. Even though I don't show it, I have always cared ever since we first met.'  
  
He stood up and gently placed a tender kiss on his love's cold lifeless lips, then brushed a few strands of the wild hair away from his delicate face. He whispered an Egyptian blessing to him, then slowly went away, the shock and pain numbing his mind.  
  
~ End Flashback ~  
  
So that's what happened, all those months ago. Ever since then, I have cut off all means of social interaction with anyone, except for the occasional trip to the Wine & Spirits Store to buy another bottle of vodka. The cashier there recognizes me when I walk in.  
  
I tried to go visit Ryou's grave a couple of times, really I did. But the memories were to painful, plus a little nagging voice that I have concluded to be my guilty concience. I always argue with it, saying that I'm not the reason why my love's dead. But it always argues back, which is actually a little bit scary.  
  
Many people have come over to try to get me to hang out with them again, and play silly arcade games with them. Yami, Yugi, Joey, Tea, I don't see why. Even among those pitiful weaklings, Ryou and I were outsiders. We only had each other, even if Ryou hated me. Malik and Marik were the closest to bringing me back to the outside world. Took me to a stripping bar and got me into my usual drunken state. But the sight of women erotically taking off their clothes wasn't exactly appealing, especially since I started to imagine Ryou doing something like that. If he was alive and we were together...  
  
It's been a few weeks since anyone has come over. Maybe they have finally accepted that this is how I want to be, for the time being anyway. At least when I'm drunk and pass out, Ryou doesn't haunt my dreams with his soft laughter and big brown doe eyes.  
  
I really wish they would of let me keep the body of my hikari. Then at least I would have something to hold on to when I cry. Cry for my missed window of opportunity to tell him that I loved him.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Diane: ;_; *sniffles and huggles her Ryou plushie* YOU KILLED RYOU-CHAN, HOW COULD YOU?!?!?!?! HOW COULD KILL AN ADORABLE FACE LIKE THIS?!?!?! *shoves her Ryou plushie in AR's face*  
  
AR: It's all part of the plot, Diane!! And I'm really sorry that Ryou died too, he's 1 of my fave characters!! Aside from Yami and Malik of course...*sighs* They are truly the hottest bishies in YGO  
  
Diane: *cradles her Ryou plushie* Poor Ryou-chan, don't worry, Diane's gonna take good care of you...AND MAKE SURE THAT HER HIKARI PAYS FOR WHAT SHE'S DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *chases AR around w/ mallet*  
  
AR: oO;; Jeez man, and I thought I was a devoted fan!! *narrowly misses a whack* Diane, calm down!!!  
  
Diane: *whack!* Only when the plot improves *whack!* and Bakura and Ryou are somehow *whack!* reunited!!! *whack!*  
  
AR: x_X ooo, lookit all the pretty bishiezz....anyway, review plz, no flames, and next chapter will be up soon!! And much happier, I promise....jeez Diana-chan, u gotta lighten up on the R/B obsession, u'll kill me by the next chapter if bad stuff keeps on happening  
  
Diane: More bad stuff's gonna happen?!*glares* Then I'll have to keep whackin' u, ya know...  
  
AR: *sighs* Oh brother... 


	2. The Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, end of discussion  
  
Diane: *glares* I have a mallet and I'm not afraid to use it  
  
AR: *glares* I have a sword, a dagger, a flamethrower and I'll use 'em all if I have to  
  
Ryou: *walks in* Hey, what are u guys doing?  
  
Diane: O.O Ryou-chan, ur still alive!!! *glomps him*  
  
AR: *rolls eyes* Of course he's alive, dimwit, I can't have Bakura being a drunk all the time  
  
Bakura: What's so bad about being a drunk?  
  
Diane: ^_^ Baku-chan!! *glomps him*  
  
AR: Hey, how'd u two get here? It's a authors-only section!!  
  
Ryou: *points to sign* It's also a hikari-and-yami section too  
  
AR: Ahh, I see....Diane, stop glomping Bakura!! Heel, girl, heel!!  
  
Diane: . I'm not a dog!!  
  
AR: But u might be by the way you're clinging to him like a terrier with her favorite toy! (Small quote from "The Circle Opens: Street Magic". Tamora Pierce rocks!)  
  
Diane: Save the dog comments for Joey or Seto...  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
~ Normal POV ~  
  
Malik and Marik finally convinced Bakura to come out of the house and go to the mall with them for one day. He sulked behind them as they walked into various different stores, looking at everything from graphic novels to clothes. He finally convinced them that he needed to go look for something on his own and that he would meet up with them at the entrance of the mall. When the two blondes walked away holding each others hand, he sighed with relief.  
  
"I never knew how annoyingly persistent they could be until now," he muttered to himself, eying a small wine shop that was open in the mall. He shook his head, then walked straight past it. He had lost his taste for it after....that night.  
  
'Now that those two are gone, what can I do?' he wondered idly, walking past a jewelry store that offered dog collars with spikes, chains, chokers, and a few odd pendants with strange symbols. He paused a minute to stare at a tiara that was shaped like a cobra, the head raised upright with it's fangs bared, then walked into the east wing of the mall.  
  
He finally walked into a weaponry store and purchased a dagger, the blade a fine silver and the hilt gold with old runes engraved in it. (Diane: I don't think malls sells weapons AR: *shrugs* Let's assume some do) He walked out, plans of what to do with his new toy developing in his mind.  
  
He leaned against the railing that ran along the walkway of the mall and looked down boredly at all the shoppers. He fingered the Millennium Ring that hung around his neck and fiddled with one of the pointers that hung from the circle. He couldn't bear to be without it nowadays, he felt so bare and naked without it. Sometimes he used it to visit Ryou's soulroom, even though it was completely devoid of any signs of life. The only thing that remained were some of Ryou's old clothes. He just sat there sometimes, sniffing the wonderful scent that was Ryou. It was smooth, cool and creamy, like vanilla. If you smelled it really deeply, you could smell a hint of colonge.  
  
Bakura blinked, his blissful reminescent bubble broken. He could of sworn he heard Ryou's light and soft laughter. He shook his head, then continued to play with his Millennium Item. Ryou was dead, Ryou was dead, he had to keep on reminding himself that.  
  
He froze, and the Millennium Ring clinked quietly against his chest. There it was again, that soft laughter that was exactly like his hikari's. No, it couldn't be...  
  
The Millennium Ring flashed brightly and the pointer that was at the bottom of the ring glowed, tugging downwards. He quickly glanced downwards, and his heart leapt up when he saw the top of a white-haired person. Damn it, how many white-haired people did the Millennium Ring point to?!  
  
"Ryou," he whispered, intently watching the youth walk into a store. Everything flew out of Bakura's mind, that Ryou was buried six feet under the ground, many miles away from the mall. All that he could think about, was how he was going to approach hikari and how he was going to greet him after so long.  
  
He started to run to the staircase, not caring that people were shouting at him and cursing him. He raced down the staircase quickly, knocking bags out of the hands of passerbyers, and jumped down the last five steps of the stairs.  
  
The albino youth was walking out of the store, a bag in hand and looking around to see where to go next. Bakura ran to catch up easily, blessing Ra for giving him long legs. When the young teen stopped and looked between two stores as if to decide which one to choose. Bakura hesitated, then cleared his throat.  
  
"Ryou, is that you?"  
  
His heart pounded, and it seemed like it took forever for the slim figure to twist around to see who it was that was speaking. When Bakura finally saw who the person was, his heart sank down, and his jaw hung open slightly.  
  
The person he thought was Ryou, was a girl. She had the same long white hair, except it was much tamer and straight. That soft white hair framed her pale skin, her large doe brown eyes standing out starkly. She was about the same height as Ryou, and had the same intrest in clothes. She wore a pale blue sweater that had black stripes over a blouse, the collar and the cuffs poking out. Faded jeans rode low on her hips, and her scuffed sneakers tapped the linoleum floor gently.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me with someone else," she said politely. She was puzzled however, this stranger seemed strangely familiar to her. And that necklace he was wearing, she felt like she had seen it before. Maybe it was just her imagination.  
  
"Y-Yeah, you're right. You look a lot like my...friend Ryou," Bakura felt himself say. His mind was overflowing with questions. Why did she look like his Ryou? Why did the Millennium Ring point to her? Who was she?  
  
"Did you and - Ryou? - get split up? This is a pretty big mall."  
  
"...Yeah, you could say that."  
  
"Well, I hope you find him."  
  
Bakura felt his heart give a painful ache. That's something that Ryou would say. Could it be, that this girl was Ryou's reincarnation?  
  
"I'm Bakura. What's your name?" She smiled, and he felt something starting to rise inside of him. Same smile as Ryou.  
  
"I'm Ruki Bakutena. It's nice to meet you, Bakura." She started to walk away, and the ancient tomb robber confirmed his theory. That girl, Ruki, was definetely Ryou's reincarnation. He had always thought that if you were a boy, then you would come back as a boy, and the same for girls. Well, the ancient tablets never really said that, so it was possible that if you were a boy, you could reincarnate as a girl, and vice versa.  
  
'I guess Ruki proved it,' Bakura thought rather dazedly, walking slowly to the entrance of the mall. Malik had his head resting against Marik's lap as they sat on a bench, several bags resting on the ground. Marik was absentmindedly running his fingers through Malik's blonde tresses, then looked up when Bakura showed up.  
  
"Well, it took you long enough to show up. We've been waiting for half an hour already. So what kept ya?"  
  
Bakura sank down onto the bench and sighed, running his hand through his spiky bangs. "Would you believe that I found Ryou's reincarnation here?"  
  
Malik sat up suddenly and stared at him. "You're kidding, right?"  
  
"Nope, but I wish I were," Bakura said glumly. Marik cocked his head.  
  
"So then why are you so sad? Is Ryou's reincarnation a mohawk punk with a thousand body piercings?"  
  
"Marik!"  
  
"What?" he asked innocently, a smirk pulling at his lips. Bakura paused, then glanced over at the two blondes.  
  
"Ryou got reincarnated....as a girl."  
  
"What?!" Malik sputtered, his lavender eyes wide. Marik just raised an eyebrow at him, wondering about what his friend had just told him.  
  
"Are you even sure that this girl's Ryou's reincarnation?"  
  
"...Yes. Damn it, Marik, the Millennium Ring pointed it to her, and it doesn't just point at any albino person out there!!" he said irritably, fiddling with his Millennium Item again. He examined a pointer, then dropped it and sighed.  
  
"I don't really know why, but I feel so...relieved, I guess, knowing that he's still out there. Even if he did come back in the opposite gender..."  
  
Malik glanced at Marik, who shrugged helplessly. This was completely new for him.  
  
"Well, I suppose we should get going now." Bakura got up and stretched, then picked up his bags. Malik and Marik did the same thing, then they walked out of the mall. A few minutes later, Ruki stepped out of her hiding place behind a giant potted plant.  
  
She was just walking by, when she noticed that Bakura was sitting there with what she assumed were his friends. She was about to walk up to him to say hello, but her brown eyes widened when something inside her told her to run away, and fast.  
  
~'Don't go near him! Must hide before he sees me!'~  
  
The voice was too powerful to ignore, and it wasn't even hers. So she obeyed it, and hid behind the nearest potted plant. She carefully peered through the leaves to watch the thin albino boy talk about something with the wild-haired blonde, and the person that was in his lap. He too, seemed familiar to Ruki, but she didn't know where or why. When he left with his friends, who oddly looked like they could be twins, she stepped out, and watched as they walked across the parking lot.  
  
"I wonder what they were talking about," she murmured to herself, her eyes locked on the boy that she met today. He kind of looked like a male version of her, if you thought about it long enough. And he seemed friendly enough to her, although he had a sad lonely feeling about him.  
  
Then why would an unexpected voice tell her to flee from him? She barely knew him!! And it was voice inside of her head, one that she had never heard before. Maybe in her sleep, a ghost had entered her body or something.  
  
'No,' she told herself firmly. 'I'm too old to believe in children's tales anymore. I'm sixteen, I'm doing well in school, and I have friends. Well, sort of...'  
  
She shook her head, then pushed open the glass doors of the mall. She had to get back home before dinner, or else her mother would start wondering.  
  
~ "Dad?" Ryou looked around as he opened the door and dropped the bookbag on the ground. He walked into the kitchen and started to fix himself a snack, but paused when he saw a note posted up on the refrigerator.  
  
"'Dear Ryou, I just recieved a call asking if I wanted to go on a archelogical dig in India. I'll probably be gone for a couple of months, and I asked your grandmother to take care of you. She should be arriving tonight. Be a good boy for her, and I'm sorry I have to leave on such short notice. - Dad.' "  
  
Ryou crumpled up the note and tossed it into the trashcan, his face unreadable. "He always has to leave for somewhere..." ~  
  
Ruki blinked, then shook her head. Where did that come from? Great, she was hearing disembodied voices and having visions. Next thing you know, she'll be going into trances and claim that God was talking to her.  
  
'I really have to get some sleep,' she thought tiredly, getting into a taxi that had pulled up to the curb. She told the the driver her address, then drove away, unknowing that she would meet up with the albino stranger again.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: ^_^ Yay!! Done with chapter 2!!  
  
Diane: ?_? Ryou? Girl? Reincarnation?  
  
AR: Yeah, the idea came to me in a RPG I was in, becuz 1 of the girls, who's name if Akumu, used to be a boy in Ancient Egypt who was called "The Black Thief", but when he got reincarnated, he became Akumu. It might be confusing, but I liked the idea of it.  
  
Diane: *hugging her Ryou plushie* Ryou-chan...girl...reincarnation...  
  
AR: *rolls eyes* I think she's in shock, but she'll get over it. Anyway, Ruki is actually the Japanese name for Rika in Digimon 03, and since she's my fave character from Digimon (all 4 seasons anyway), I thought it would be cool to call Ryou's girl form Ruki.  
  
Diane: Baku-chan...Ryou-chan....what'll happen?  
  
AR: *pats Diane's back* You'll find out soon enough. Plz review, no flames, and ja ne!!! 


	3. The Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!!  
  
AR: ^_^ Thanks to all of you who reviewed!!  
  
Diane: Ryou-chan...*sniffs*  
  
AR: -.-n We've been over this about a million times, Diane. I'm not gonna repeat myself again  
  
Diane: But hearing it from you, the main authoress of this fic, is so reassuring!!  
  
AR: -.-nnnn ...Fine. Ryou and Bakura will get back together at the end of this fic becuz I'm a sucker for happy endings. Happy?  
  
Diane: ^_^ Yay!! *huggles Ryou plushie*  
  
AR: I'm gonna have to borrow that plushie sometime, cuz Diane hangs onto it WAY too much  
  
Diane: No! You can't have my Ryou & Bakura plushies!! *huggles them*  
  
AR: O.O My Bakura plushie!! I've been searching for it for months!!! Gimme gimme!!! *chases after Diane* IT'S MIIIIINNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
~ "You're such a pathetic and weak excuse for a hikari," Bakura sneered, licking the blood off of the blade of his knife. Ryou didn't answer, he just remained curled up on the floor, his eyes half-open and glazed over with unshed tears.  
  
Bakura gave him one last well-aimed kick in the stomach, then sauntered over to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. When Ryou was sure that he wouldn't come back out until morning, he got up and tottered over to the bathroom, where his scant dinner was promtly thrown into the toilet.  
  
He rinsed his mouth out, then gazed into the mirror to view the damage. His right eye was turning a sickly shade of yellow and green, and a slash that started at his chin and ended at his ear burned dully. Both of his arms were covered in forming bruises, and his T-shirt was ripped and slashed all over in various places, with long scars underneath. The fresher ones were still bleeding, and some of the few-hour-old ones only stung mildly. His stomach hurt from all of the kicks and punches he had recieved, and also from violently throwing up. For some reason, Bakura always left his legs alone during the beatings. Probably so that Ryou could at least stand up and run to the bathroom or something.  
  
'He's so damn evil and sadistic,' Ryou thought bitterly, splashing cold water onto his face, then limping to his bedroom. He quietly closed the door behind him, then took off his tattered shirt and threw it in the corner of his room. He walked over to his window to pull down the shade, then paused.  
  
The sky was clear and you could see every single star out there by the faint light of the crescent moon. The city lights were dim for once, which made the stars and the moon even brighter. And then, with a small flash that could barely be seen, a streak of light that disappeared as soon as it came.  
  
'Oh, a shooting star...guess I could make a wish,' Ryou thought. 'I wish....I wish that Bakura would stop abusing me, and maybe even....love me.' ~  
  
Ruki was breathless for air when she awoke, and then groaned. "What the hell was that all about?"  
  
It was about four days after she met Bakura in the mall. But ever since then, she had been having very strange dreams, ones that seemed to always include Bakura and this shy white-haired boy that looked exactly like him, except softer. From what she gathered, that boy's name was Ryou.  
  
But why did Ryou refer to Bakura as "yami", and Bakura refer to Ryou as "hikari"? Was it some kind of secret code that they had? And why the hell did Bakura beat up Ryou? He seemed so nice when he had introduced himself to her at the mall.  
  
But the weirdest thing is, in all of the dreams, it was as if SHE was Ryou. When she was awake, she shuddered at the thought of dreaming about being a guy. She didn't know where it came from. Was she going crazy?  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"Ryou, where are you?" Bakura called out. He could feel his hikari's presence somewhere nearby, but it was hard to see through the thick white fog that enveloped the surrounding area.  
  
"Bakura..." came the faint reply. He strained to hear where the beautiful voice had come from, then started walking forward, his arms in front of himself, feeling around.  
  
"Ryou!!" he called out again, stumbling over something that he couldn't really see in the fog. "Ryou, where are you?"  
  
"Over here...where ever here is."  
  
Bakura tried peering through the fog, his hand shading his eyes. What that dark blur in the distance Ryou? Only one way to find out. He started walking in that direction, stumbling over more things and sometimes even tripping and landing on his face. But he always picked himself up and continued walking.  
  
The fog started to lift, and sunlight actually began to show slightly. Bakura began to walk faster, his heart beating faster as he saw a flash of silver-ish hair, and a light breeze carried over to him the light scent of vanilla.  
  
"Ryou?"  
  
"Bakura!!" Someone launched himself onto his chest causing him to fall onto the ground heavily. He looked down, and his face split into a bright and happy smile.  
  
Ryou had his thin arms wrapped tightly around his chest, and his head was buried into his chest. But the amazing thing was, two enormous feathery wings were coming out of his back, and it seemed totally natural.  
  
"Oh Ryou..." Bakura returned his hikari's affection embrace, careful to avoid the angelic wings. He petted his pale silky strands of hair that cascaded down Ryou's back, twisting a small bit around his index finger.  
  
"I missed you, Bakura," Ryou whispered, finally letting go of his yami. He rustled his wings lightly, and simply smiled at Bakura, just happy to see him again.  
  
"Ryou..." Bakura couldn't think of anything else to say. So many thoughts and feelings were in his mind, it was impossible to express them all. He was just content with sitting there, staring at the beautiful sight of his lighter half as an angel.  
  
"It's been so long since we've spoken, Bakura. I've been watching you ever since...well, ya know," Ryou said softly, moving closer to the ex-tomb robber. "I really hate to see you being so miserable and passing out each night."  
  
Bakura didn't know how to reply, so he looked down at the ground, away from the young teen's gaze. Ryou sat oh so very close next to him, and rested his head against his shoulder. Carefully he folded his wings around them, so that they were hidden in semi-darkness and white feathers.  
  
"Why do you do that to yourself, yami? Why do you even miss me?" Ryou whispered into his ear. "Do you miss having someone to punch every night?" There was a hint of bitterness and sorrow in his voice, and his eyes had a sad glimmer in them.  
  
"...No, it's not like that, Ryou. It's just that, well, I-I don't even know myself," Bakura said lamely. He shook his head. "No, that's not right either. Damn, this is really hard to explain, Ryou."  
  
"Well then, show me instead of telling me," came the soft and soothing reply. Bakura blinked, then did something very impulsive. He leaned in and drew Ryou closer, so that their lips met faster.  
  
The angelic teen eyes didn't seem surprised one bit, and relaxed and kissed his yami back, thoroughly enjoying this experience. The finally broke apart slowly, and Bakura licked his slightly parched lips.  
  
"Does that explain enough?"  
  
"Yeah, and a whole lot more."  
  
They started to kiss again, this time a bit more passionate and harder. Bakura gently licked Ryou's lips, which willingly opened for him. Their tongues began to curiously lick every inch of each other's mouth.  
  
*Ding-dong!*  
  
Bakura suddenly awoke to the doorbell of his house ringing, dazedly wondering where Ryou went. When his sleep-filled mind finally realized that it was all just a dream, he groaned. Partly out of disappointment and partly because whoever was at the door had woken him out of a very yummy dream.  
  
'Damn hormones, got me dreaming about the impossible,' he thought grumpily, placing the empty beer bottle on the nearby coffee table and getting up to answer the door. He still drank every night, despite the fact that he (sorta) found Ryou.  
  
*Ding-dong!*  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming," He called out, fumbling with the chain and lock. When he finally got it open, he frowned a little when he saw Yugi standing there. What was that little pipsqueak doing here? (A/n: Diane! Yugi isn't a pipsqueak! Diane: Compared to what, a field mouse? Just let me type it the way I want AR: -.- Fine, but don't insult Yugi-chan anymore, k?)  
  
"Hey Bakura, how are you doing?" The violet eyed boy asked politely. Truthfully, he was uncomfortable around the spirit of the Millennium Ring. He did all kinds of insane stunts, and was a major masochist. To Yugi, that qualified as Weird with a capital "W."  
  
"Other than have a major hangover from last night, I'm alright," Bakura answered warily. After a moment of silence, Yugi finally spoke, and handed the albino spirit an invitation.  
  
"I'm sorta having a costume party on Halloween, and I was wondering if you would like to come. It's not a big thing, just a party between the gang and some other school friends."  
  
Bakura raised a pale eyebrow, then stared down at the tri-colored youth. Why should he go to this, costume party? In the past, Ryou had often nudged him to go to get-togethers like these, but then they had spent the evening hanging out together by themselves or by leaving early. He was about to decline, but then paused.  
  
'Ryou would of wanted you to go, and have a life,' a small voice whispered deep within his mind. He hesitated, then looked back at Yugi, who was examining the cuff of his jacket like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.  
  
"I guess I'll go, but don't expect me to stay the whole time," he said nocholantly. Yugi breathed a small sigh of relief, then smiled up at him.  
  
"Great, the party will start at 8:00. See ya there! Oh, and Bakura?"  
  
"Yes, Yugi?" he asked irritably. He had said yes, what more did he want?  
  
"Don't come as anything too gruesome or bloody, all right?"  
  
"Fine, fine," he said, rolling his eyes as he closed the door. How Ryou put up with him, he did not know. He wasn't going to show up as a half-decayed corpse anyway, he had something else in mind...  
  
Yugi walked briskly down two blocks and marched up the front steps, ringing the doorbell twice. There was a muffled sound of footsteps running to the door, and a lock being turned. The door opened and Yugi smiled up nicely to the girl who answered.  
  
"Hey Ruki, what's up?"  
  
The pale girl smiled, Yugi was very cute, in a little brotherly sort of way. He had helped her feel welcome when she moved here a few months ago, and his friends had accepted her into their circle. Still, she prefered to be on her own most of the times. Talking to that perky girl Tea got on her nerves sometimes.  
  
"Not a whole lot, Yugi, but thanks for asking. So, what brings you to my place?"  
  
He handed her an invitation, the same one that he gave to Bakura. "I'm having a costume party on Halloween, and I was wondering if you wanted to come."  
  
"Sure! Is there anybody else that I know who'll be there?" Ruki hated to introduce herself to people she didn't know, especially when they stared at her pale looks.  
  
"Don't worry, all of the people there will be from school, except for one guy. He's a little weird, but he's an old friend. He'll grow on you eventually," Yugi assured her.  
  
"All right, but I'll have to take your word for it," Ruki replied, waving good-bye as the short young teen walked away from her neighborhood.  
  
'Hmm, wonder who it could be...' she thought absentmindedly, going back to the kitchen where her breakfast of cornflakes and toast laid getting cold.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: Er, don't know why I added in the breakfast thing, but that's what my dad eats *randomly pulls out Bakura plushie* Hello, 'Kura-chan, did ya miss me?  
  
Diane: *sniffs* She stole my Bakura plushie!!  
  
AR: =p It was mine in the first place!! It was sitting on my bed with my other plushies, and then it vanished!!  
  
Diane: It was just lying there, unattended, all apart from those other EVIL plushies, and was just crying out "Hug me tight!". My heart was aching when I heard that, so, I decided to give it all of the love and attention it needs!!  
  
AR: Ya hear that, readers?!?! She's listening to a PLUSHIE!!!!!!!!! MY plushie to be exact!!! *hugs it* Don't worry, 'Kura-chan, ur safe now that ur back with me, and not with crazy ol' D-chan over there...*nuzzles plushie*oooo, velvety...  
  
Diane: ;_; Baku-chan!!!!! *runs away crying*  
  
AR: Yeah, that's right, go get your own plushie!!!!!! Anyway, plz review, no flames, I'll update soon, and ja ne!!!! 


	4. The Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Kazuki Takahashi does  
  
AR: ^_^ Yay!! All reviewers get a dozen cyber cookies!!  
  
Diane: I never got why they were called cyber cookies *munches on 1*  
  
AR: Eh, neither to i, but hey, who cares? I got reviews!! *goes dancing around the room*  
  
Diane: ^^;; Um, just wondering Angel-chan, how many cookies did ya have?  
  
AR: Hmm....2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 25, 38, 54....lets just say a whole bunch of 'em!! *eats another cookie and starts dancing around the room again*  
  
Diane: ^^;; How...odd  
  
Ryou: Odd doesn't even begin to describe this scene *eats a cookie*  
  
Diane: ^_^ Ryou-chan!! *tries to glomp him*  
  
AR: *grabs Diane by the ear before she can* Heel, girl, heel!! Bad Diane, trying to huggle sweet little Ryou-chan...especially when u know that u must share him with your adorable little hikari, moi!  
  
Diane: *glares* Grrr....  
  
Bakura: I don't get why we stop by here to make two extremely weird girls happy, especially when they end up arguing over stupid topics  
  
Ryou: And bark like dogs...which is really really weird  
  
AR: Osuwari!!  
  
Diane: *eye twitches, then sits* This is so embarassing...  
  
AR: Good girl...*pats Diane's head before tossing her a cookie* Here, have a doggie treat  
  
Diane: Save the canine cracks for a certain dumb blonde, Angel-chan...  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Snip, snip.  
  
Another strand of moonlight-white hair falls down into the bathroom sink.  
  
Snip, snip.  
  
Slowly, and almost mournfully, Bakura closed the scissor blades around another piece of his hair, watching it fall slowly to the ground.  
  
Turn to the other side. Snip, snip.  
  
Why was he giving himself a haircut? He was asking the same question himself.  
  
Just trim the bangs a tiny little bit. Don't want to ruin them.  
  
'I should of never said yes to Yugi,' he thought to himself, examining his shortened hair carefully. It was now up to his chin, and was still as spiky and wild as ever. Except it wasn't as nice and thick as it used to be.  
  
'Then I wouldn't have to put myself through the torture of cutting my beautiful hair. Just for a stupid costume.' He carefully picked up each piece of cut hair and threw it in the trash. He hated cutting his hair, he prefered it long and thick. If people called him a mullet head, he had his own special way of dealing with them, and then they never called him that again.  
  
Now that the personal torture was done, he had to go find his costume. He began digging around the closet, then found exactly what he needed for tonight. He tugged off his sweater and jeans, then pulled his costume on slowly. It had been a while since he had worn this outfit, but it still fit perfectly.  
  
'Heh, rather surprising since I haven't worn this since Ancient Egypt,' he thought, strapping on a pair of leather sandals. He took one glance into the mirror and then frowned. He was missing something...  
  
The Millennium Ring was lying on the dresser, and he carefully hung it around his neck. Perfect. Now he was ready.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
The small party at Yugi's house was pleasant, with music playing gently in the backround and people talking about various subjects in the foreground. The doorbell rang, and Yugi ran to answer it, adjusting the cape of his vampire costume a little. When he saw who it was, he was surprised.  
  
"Wow Bakura. That's a really good costume..."  
  
And indeed it was. The spirit of the Millennium Ring wore a long crimson hooded robe open, baring a slightly tan chest. A pair of loose white pants billowed around his knees, ragged and frayed. Small gold rings were around his fingers, and a few gold chains wrapped around his neck, topped off with the Millennium Ring glimmering slightly in the dim light. Add that to his short white hair and the scar on his right cheek, he looked excellent.  
  
"Where did you find that, Bakura?" Yugi asked, watching the yami spirit as he walked into his home.  
  
"It's mine. I wore this in Ancient Egypt," he muttered. "And I won't be here for too long."  
  
Without another word he walked into the den, where the party was being held. Several people stared at him, then went back to conversing among themselves, whispering and giggling a little. Bakura glared at Tea, dressed as a witch, and a group of giggly cheerleaders. (A/n: *glares* Tea is a witchy little b***h Diane: -.-n I seriously don't get why u hate her so much...)  
  
"Nice outfit, Bakura," a familiar voice drawled, and Bakura turned around. Malik was smiling bemusedly at him, wearing a purple/black GURUS Rare Hunter cape with a small chain on the front.  
  
"Let me guess, Ishtar, you're here because you also couldn't say no to Yugi." The Egyptian nodded, then pulled out a small bottle and tossed it to the albino.  
  
"Here, I thought you might be coming, so I brought us some sustanance." He quickly unscrewed the cap and took a swig, relishing the bitter and fiery taste of the alcohol. He gave a small smile to the blonde, who was drinking his own bottle of liquor.  
  
"Remind me why we don't hang out more often, Ishtar."  
  
"Uh, 1, you live in a beer bottle, 2, I tried to kill you once, and 3, Marik also tried to kill you, and you had to attack back."  
  
Bakura shrugged. "It's a force of habit to try to kill the guy who's trying to kill me."  
  
Malik rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's make this party a little bit more interesting by spiking something, shall we?"  
  
"Punch bowl's right over there."  
  
"Perfect." As Malik walked over to the drinks table with a slightly devious thought in mind, the doorbell rang. Seeing as how Yugi was busy in a liplock with Yami on the couch, Bakura answered the door, only to stare in shock.  
  
"Ryou - I mean, Ruki. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing, Bakura," she said, her eyebrow arched. "And why do you keep calling me Ryou?"  
  
It was hard not to for the ancient tomb robber, especially with the costume that she had on. Half of her white hair was dyed black, and the left side of her face had been carefully painted darker. A black and white robe billowed around her, and a demon wing and an angel wing fluttered from her back. It was such a strong reminder of when Bakura had trapped his hikari and his friends in their favorite cards, and Ryou was in the Change of Heart. (A/n: ^_^ My fave Duelist Kingdom eppie, it's so cute)  
  
"Oh, can't guess what I am, huh? Most people guess a half angel and half demon, but I'm actually the Change of Heart card."  
  
"Ah, I see," Bakura managed to force out, closing the door behind her, and taking another long swig of alcohol until the bottle was empty. He looked at it sadly, then sought out Malik, who was carefully mixing the punch and whiskey together until the last drop was gone.  
  
"Hey Ishtar, got anymore of that stuff?"  
  
"Nope, but feel free to drink as much punch as you want," he replied calmly, pouring out a cup for the teen and handing it to him.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Careful though, that's the strongest stuff I could find in my house," Malik warned, his words falling to deaf ears as Bakura walked off and plopped down on the couch right next to Ruki.  
  
"So how come your here, Ruki?"  
  
"Yugi invited me, we're friends at school. And you?"  
  
"Yugi invited me, but I think it's more out of obligation because we met through Ryou."  
  
Ruki frowned slightly. There he was again, the infamous Ryou that he was always talking about. How come he couldn't be found anywhere she checked in Domino City, and why did Bakura always talk about him?  
  
"I've never heard Yugi mention Ryou before, which is odd. I hope I get to meet him someday, just to see how wonderful you say he is."  
  
"Uh, that might be a little difficult..."  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"Well, it's a long story..."  
  
"I have a theory about something, Bakura," Ruki said quietly, her eyes glued straight ahead and her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. "My theory is that the reason Ryou can't be here tonight, is that you've finally broken him, after abusing and tormenting him for so long. Am I right?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
Her head snapped, her chocolate brown eyes blazing. "Admit it Bakura, you like to hurt that innocent boy, even though he's done nothing against you. What kind of sick freak are you, huh? But what I would really like to know is, how hurt is he? Is he almost dead? Because if he is, I will make sure you go to a prison in hell where you belong."  
  
"You know what? I don't know how we got onto this subject, but please, let's just drop it," Bakura said quickly, getting up from the couch and stalking over to the door. "Good night, Ruki."  
  
"Bakura, wait!!" The door slammed shut behind him, and he quickly walked in the middle of the deserted street, hoping that she wasn't following him.  
  
"Damn it, Bakura, just answer my question!! Is he still alive?!"  
  
He turned around slowly, clutching the Millennium Ring in one hand as he faced Ruki. She was surprised when she looked at his face, it seemed so sad.  
  
"Do you really want to know about Ryou, Ruki?"  
  
"...Yes."  
  
"Very well, then. But you must know, that by learning about him, you must know every single thing. Because every event in his life makes him what he is today," he said softly.  
  
"Just get to the point, Bakura, because that's the only thing that matters," she said crossly.  
  
"Ryou...he always was a shy young boy, he never could make friends easily. And it didn't help that both his mother and sister were dead, and his father was an archeologist, traveling all the time. One day, his father brought him the Millennium Ring, and gave it to him as a birthday present. That was the day that ultimately changed his life, because that Ring was magical."  
  
Bakura paused for a moment, then continued on when Ruki glared at him.  
  
"Bakura, please stop avoiding the question. Is Ryou alive, or isn't he?"  
  
"...yes and no."  
  
"What the hell do you mean?"  
  
"Ryou did die, but not by my hands," he said, staring her straight in the eye. "He committed suicide, eight months back. Probably around the time you showed up in Domino."  
  
"T-That's right, how'd you know?" she asked, clearly puzzled.  
  
"And it's almost coincidence that your name, Ruki, is so close to Ryou's, and that you have dreams about him, and that you like the same Duel Monsters card, AND that you look almost exactly alike," he pointed out, taking one step closer to her. She nervously backed away, and they continued this pattern until Ruki bumped into a parked car.  
  
"So yes, Ryou is physically dead to the world. But, his spirit still lives on inside of you, because you are his reincarnation," he told her bitterly. Telling it to her somehow made that small fact real, and Bakura just wanted to keep hoping it was all just a dream.  
  
"No, I...don't believe you," she said weakly. "Reincarnation is just a silly notion that Hindu people created. I-I wasn't an abused boy before, and I never will be."  
  
"Try and convince yourself that, but everything does make sense that way, Ryou."  
  
"No!! Stop calling me Ryou!! I'm Ruki, and I always will be!!" she shrieked, bursting into a run and trying to get as far away from there as possible. She could faintly hear Bakura yelling something after her, but that only made her run faster.  
  
"Don't try to run, Ruki, your past will come back to haunt you!!" he called after her.  
  
'Like mine has...it's my fault that you died, Ryou, and now fate is forever teasing me by keeping you close, but forever different...'  
  
He sighed sadly, then started trudging home, only to end up passing out cold on the couch, an empty beer bottle clutched in one hand. Such a sad ending to a person's day, especially a day like this.  
  
"She will die soon, I can sense it."  
  
Bakura whirled around, and frowned when he saw two robed figures standing in the middle of the street. He hadn't even heard them approach, and there were piles of dead leaves all around.  
  
"What, you mean Ruki?"  
  
"Yes, that girl you were talking to. She has that certain aura about her, that makes her such a vulnerable target. Especially to us." You could tell it was a girl underneath the robe, her voice was light and delicate.  
  
"Look, whoever you weirdo's are, get lost. Halloween's almost over anyway," Bakura snapped at them, continuing his path home.  
  
"I would be careful if I were you, Bakura," the girl called after him. "Because tomorrow is the day when you life will utterly change."  
  
"Ha, yeah right. That day already passed, and it was the day that my Ryou died," he bitterly called over his shoulder, not even realizing that they knew his name even though he never told it. The two girls looked at each other, as if relaying mental messages to each other.  
  
"I must say, he's quite thickheaded."  
  
"Yes, but he'll realize that we're right soon enough."  
  
"True, for tomorrow is the day that will ultimately decide what his future is like, and we'll be there with him."  
  
"Do you think our plan will work?"  
  
"We've done other plans similar to this one, and they've all worked 100%. So this one will go no different."  
  
"Yes, but this is the first time any mortal would be in our headquarters. What if they come back to it someday, this time, with our greatest enemy?"  
  
"We must be willing to take that risk, Reaper."  
  
"*sighs* Yes, I suppose your right, Grim."  
  
"Come on, we have a busy schedule tonight, and the night has barely started."  
  
They started walking along the sidewalk silently, but then vanished into the shadows and not a trace was left. It was like they had never existed.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: ^^;; I'm SO SO sorry it took so long to write this chapter  
  
Diane: Yeah, u'd better be sorry!!  
  
AR: Zip it, Diane, I'm not in the mood to hear anything from you  
  
Diane: But I'm the co-authoress, and your yami!! I have a right to speak!!  
  
AR: -.-n *uses authoress powers to tape Diane's mouth shut* Not anymore  
  
Diane: =X Grrr....  
  
AR: Well, plz review, no flames, and ja ne!! Next chapter'll be up soon, I promise!! 


	5. The Accident

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!!  
  
AR: *goes around the room tossing flower petals* La la la la...  
  
Diane: ^^;; Bored?  
  
AR: *tosses daisies* Yup, and I don't wanna do my homework  
  
Diane: ur just stalling u know  
  
AR: I know, but I don't wanna do it cuz it's boring and not cool  
  
Diane: Procrastinator!!  
  
AR: And proud of it! *hands Ryou & Bakura roses* Here, for the sweetest boys in all of YGO ^_~  
  
Ryou: ^^;; Thanks?  
  
Diane: O.O You bitch...  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
'Absolutely ridiculous, I wasn't not a boy named Ryou. I am a girl named Ruki. Ruki Bakutena...'  
  
~'I am Ryou, Ryou Bakura...'~  
  
'No!' she told herself firmly. 'Ryou Bakura is a boy that gets abused by Bakura.'  
  
~'He may abuse me, but I love him...'~  
  
At that remark Ruki really freaked out, and her eyes widened.  
  
'How can you love someone that treats you like a punching bag?!'  
  
~'I don't know, I just...fell for him. It all happened so quickly...'~  
  
'Ok, this is getting insane,' Ruki thought. 'I need some fresh air.'  
  
She got up and grabbed the keys to her mother's car, something she ordinarily wouldn't do without asking for permission. But this wasn't an ordinary time, and she desperately felt the need to escape.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
The paper bag filled with his drinks and other necessities was feeling a little heavy, but Bakura hardly noticed. His mind was preoccupied on other things.  
  
'I wonder if I hadn't left that night just to drink, Ryou might still be a boy, and alive. But would anything be different? Would I still be afraid to tell him those three little words?'  
  
A loud revving engine broke his train of thought, and his head snapped up and widened when he saw a car racing towards him without stopping. Quickly he jump back onto the sidewalk, just in time as the car zoomed by him.  
  
"Watch where you're going, you fucking lousy driver!!" he yelled loudly after the car, only to get a middle finger in response. He death-glared it until it screeched around a corner, startling more pedestrians that were walking in the street.  
  
"What the hell's his problem?" he grumbled, walking up to the house. Little did he know that the driver of that car, was actually Ruki.  
  
She pushed the gas pedal harder, and watched as the needle on the speed dial reach 88 miles per hour. People and houses were flashing by, and various things were being yelled at her as she went by. But why should she care what they thought? All she wanted to do right now was escape, to somewhere far away, like America, or Europe, anywhere in the world!  
  
~'No, stay here, please...'~  
  
'You're just a stupid little voice that just suddenly appeared one day,' she snapped. 'I'm not ever going to listen to you.'  
  
~'But...'~  
  
'I said no!!!'  
  
"Hey, watch out kid!!"  
  
Ruki gasped as she saw a little boy, only about four, running to retrieve a soccer ball that had rolled into the streeet. Her hands jerked at the wheel, and she narrowly avoided the kid. But now her car was headed straight for a telephone pole, and she desperately tried to hit the brakes.  
  
A squeal, a scream, then silence.  
  
Bakura got goosebumps when he felt a chill in the air, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight. Something was wrong, very wrong. Probably the last time he had felt this kind of vibe was the night when...  
  
"Ryou...Ruki,"he whispered. He immediately grabbed a jacket and headed out the door, determined to look for his hikari's reincarnation.  
  
"Hey, did you hear? Some chick wrapped her car around a telephone pole. It's not a pretty sight," he heard someone say. Immediately a small wave of panic washed over him, then he tried calming himself by saying that it might not even be Ruki.  
  
After listening to several more conversations, he finally found the crash site. There were police officiers and medical teams all over the place, and a yellow tape separated them from everyone else. Bakura managed to squeeze his way through the crowd, his heart beating painfully in his heart.  
  
'Please don't let it be Ruki...I don't think I could bear it if my hikari died again.'  
  
There was a body on the stretcher, a blanket covering over top of it. One of the physicians pulled back the bit that was covering the face, then covered it back up again. That brief look was enough to tell Bakura that it was indeed the white-hair girl that resembled his hikari so much.  
  
"No, Ryou, I've lost you again..."  
  
"We told you that she would die soon, Bakura."  
  
He whirled around quickly, and frowned when he saw the two robed girls again, the ones that had talked to him last night. Why were they still in costumes?  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"We're just doing our job, Bakura, and nothing more. You're lucky, not most people get a warning from us," the girl on the right said, her voice slightly muffled from the hood that hung around her face.  
  
Something sparked in Bakura's mind, and he narrowed his eyes. "Are you somehow related to Ruki's death?"  
  
"In one way, yes. But only minorly."  
  
"Who are you? Show your faces, so that I can have the great pleasure of watching you two scream and writhe in pain," he growled. The girl on the left clicked her tongue and shook her finger.  
  
"Now that's not a very polite way to ask. Say it again nicely, and we might just do it."  
  
"Take those bloody hoods off, now."  
  
Without a word, the two girls pushed the hoods back, letting them fall down their backs. Bakura blinked, then rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. They were twins, identical down to the last strand of jet-black hair. They both had pale faces, and silver eyes that seemed to gleam and dance in the dim flashing light. They were pretty, in a black widow sort of way. However, one had a more serious and grim look on her face, while the other one smiled easily and seemed to enjoy the look on Bakura's face.  
  
"If that's all you want Bakura, we must get going. We're very busy tonight," the serious girl said, starting to walk away from the crash scene.  
  
"Wait! What are your names?!" he called after her. The more cheerful girl giggled.  
  
"You find out soon enough, Bakura. Until then, sleep well." She winked, then skipped away, catching up to her sister easily. Bakura frowned heavily.  
  
Sleep well? What the hell did that mean? Were those two wackos going to sneak into his house and scare him in his sleep? Ridiculous!  
  
But that did sound good, to get some sleep now. Maybe he could forget this recent sorrow and drown it in a sea of beer. Bakura yawned, then checked his watch. Two o' clock in the morning. Tiredly he started walking back to his house, his eyelids heavy and drooping.  
  
When he finally reached his front door, he stumbled through it. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. Shutting the door behind him, he walked over to the couch, flopped down, and almost immediately drifted off to sleep.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
He lied down onto his back and stared into the shadows. That was the only thing he wanted to do, look at the endless dark abyss. The darkness seemed to be his only friend that would stay forever, unlike other things in life. His life was getting downright depressing. He could never seem to save his hikari in time, no matter what form Ryou was in. And even if he did manage to save him once, Ryou probably wouldn't even love him, not in his current drunken state.  
  
"Bakura!! Are you all right?! If you are, please help me!!" a faint voice cried out from behind him.  
  
"No...stop tormenting me, koi," Bakura whispered, his eyes closed and his mind far away. "It hurts to think of you, Ryou."  
  
"Stop struggling, you'll get to him fast enough," a slightly familiar voice said, sounding tired and annoyed at the same time.  
  
Bakura stirred, and his eyes opened halfway. Huh? How'd she get here?  
  
"A-Are you going to do something to us?"  
  
"We aren't going to harm you two...much."  
  
"Bakura!!!!"  
  
He sounded half hysterical, and half pleading. Bakura felt his heart give a painful twinge, and started to sit up.  
  
"Damn it, hold still!!" There was a muffled slam, like when a fist punches a body, and then the sound of running. Bakura got up quick enough to catch a glimpse of his hikari running towards him, with a familiar robed girl sprawled on her back, rubbing her cheek gingerly.  
  
"Ow, stupid boy. Punched me in the face...definetely gonna have a mark tomorrow."  
  
Ryou quickly collided into his arms, trembling and whimpering. His yami looked down at him dazedly, not really knowing what had just happened and wondering if this was a dream. But it was so nice to have his hikari back with him, so close to his body. So he just held him tightly in his arms, backing away and scowling as the black-haired girl stiffly got up. She frowned for a minute, disoriented and a little confused, then glanced quickly at the pair.  
  
"I was only kidding, Ryou. My sister and I aren't going to do anything to you two. We're just trying to help."  
  
"Help?!" Bakura snapped, tightly holding his still shaking hikari close. "You help him by killing Ruki?!"  
  
"He was trapped in that girl's body, and if it wasn't for me and my sister's help, they would of both suffered great agony, subconciously knowing that they're not supposed to be this way," she replied, her silver eyes narrowed and her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"So you killed an innocent just to free Ryou?! What kind of sick freaks are you?!" he practically screamed.  
  
"You have Ryou back now, don't you?" Her voice had suddenly changed, and it was softer and gentle, like a mother's soothing voice. Bakura froze, then looked down into the warm dark brown gaze of his lighter half, his soulmate. His love.  
  
His body relaxed, and he felt his anger and confusion start to melt away. "Yes, I do."  
  
"Good, because that is what my sister and I have been trying to accomplish for the past few weeks." She started walk towards the crumbling ruins of the castle, then paused and beckoned for the two to follow her. "However, the task is only half completed. Follow me, and the other half shall be finished."  
  
Giving her a perplexed look, Bakura started to walk behind her, finally letting go of Ryou and letting him walk next to him. Ryou shyly looked at him, marvelling at how he acted.  
  
'It actually seemed like he cares about me. And the way he looked at me, his eyes were a whirl of emotions. Anger (probably at that girl), and...a sort of tender feeling, that I can't quite put my finger on. But whatever it is, it's strong...'  
  
"Ryou?"  
  
"Yes, Bakura?"  
  
"...I'm really glad your back," he said softly, his left hand reaching out and gently grasping Ryou's. His touch was like fire, or electricity, racing through his body. It was so unlike the Bakura he had known before, but he liked this.  
  
"It's good to be back, and with you..."  
  
The last remark was said so softly it could be barely heard, but it was carried through the hall by the passing wind, reaching the odd girl's ear. She smiled and pushed open a door, leading into a neat workshop filled with herbs and a few magical tools needed. Sitting on a stool, reading a rather large leatherbound book, was the girl's twin, wearing a deep blue robe with silver embroidery at the edges. She looked up, then grinned delightedly when she saw the two boys.  
  
"Excellent, Grim, you found our new houseguests!!"  
  
She rolled her eyes, then rubbed her injured cheek again. "Yea, but now I'm gonna have a sore jaw for a day or so, Reaper."  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to punch you," Ryou apoligized softly. Grim waved her hand carelessly at him.  
  
"It's ok, I've had worse. Besides, I always have Reaper here to heal me."  
  
The girl, apparently known as Reaper, inspected it carefully and then used a fingertip to write something there, mutturing something. The bruise glowed brightly for a second, then faded away to nothing, and Grim sighed.  
  
"Thanks, Reaper, that feel's a lot better."  
  
"Hey, that's nothing compared to the other stuff we've gotten," Reaper pointed out, hopping off of her stool and stretching a little. When she was done, she beckoned for them to follow her.  
  
"Come on, you probably want an explanation for what's been going on lately, and I promise me and Grim will give it to ya in the library."  
  
"How do we know that this isn't some sort of trap?" Bakura asked suspiciously.  
  
"How do we know that you want our help to bring back Ryou?" she countered. "That's the thing, Bakura, you must trust us if we're to help you."  
  
He scowled, but followed her anyway into a cozy room filled with books and leather chairs, and a fire cheerfully crackling in the fireplace. Grim was already seated, taking a sip out of a steaming mug.  
  
"Want some tea? It's really good," she calmly offered, pouring out a cup and handing it to Reaper. Bakura shook his head, but Ryou shyly asked for a cup.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude, but what's all of this about?" Bakura said stiffly, rubbing the arm of the leather chair with a finger. Grim sighed deeply and put down her empty mug, resettling herself in the chair.  
  
"It's a long story, but it's worth it, I promise."  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: Yep, cuttin' ya off right there is kinda a cliffie, but this chapter's getting long, and it's late.  
  
Diane: ~.~ ZzZzZzZzZz....  
  
AR: She sleeps like a boulder!!  
  
Diane: *mumbles* Ryou's mine, no takies...  
  
AR: See what I mean? Well, plz review, no flames, and ja ne!! Next chappie'll be up soon!! 


	6. The Explanation

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!!  
  
Diane: *sniffs* Baku-chan hasn't stopped by in a while, and I miss him....  
  
AR: -.-n Stop moping around, you gotta help me work on these stories  
  
Diane: ;_; What's the point, if Baku-chan won't come?  
  
AR: *eye twitches* I'm surrounded by buffoons...  
  
Diane: =p Stop quoting animes!!!  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"It's a long story, but I promise, it's worth it."  
  
"It had better be, I have better things to do with my time," Bakura said annoyed. The one girl gave a little cough, which also sounded suspiciously like a snort.  
  
"Like what, get drunk and pass out on the floor again? I think we need to ease you off of the booze a little."  
  
"Now Reaper, don't be so critical with the guests. After all, we all need to cooperate in order for this to work," her sister said calmly. "In case you two haven't guessed yet, I'm Grim and that's my sister Reaper."  
  
"Uh, no offense, but those are weird names."  
  
"Nah, not if you're like us."  
  
"And what are you exactly?"  
  
They both smiled, an eerie smile that makes your blood run cold. "We're Grim Reapers."  
  
"I knew it, you ARE cold-blooded killers!!" Bakura exclaimed.  
  
"So were you, in Ancient Egypt," Reaper pointed out. Ryou's eyes widened.  
  
"How do you know about-"  
  
"-His past life, the Millennium Items, your friends? Quite simple, actually."  
  
"We've been observing you for the past few months, Ryou," Grim said quietly, her eyes focused only on the two boys. "You and Bakura were assigned to us, and we were suppose to kill you a few weeks ago."  
  
"K-Kill?" he whimpered, trembling slightly. Bakura reached out and held his hand, rubbing it reassuringly while glaring at the two girls.  
  
"So you've brought us here to finish off the job?"  
  
"No, not exactly," Reaper said, frowning slightly. "You see, souls only reincarnate when they have unfinished business. And when they do, it's up to the Grim Reaper that's assigned to them to help finish whatever it is."  
  
"And that would be us," Grim finished. "It's pretty rare. The last time it happened was in the 1400's or so, I think. The book is very vauge."  
  
"I-I don't have any unfinished business," Ryou said firmly, although he stammered slightly. "I left every loose ends tied up, so I should go to heaven."  
  
Reaper clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Nu-uh, not yet. We may be young for Grim Reaper's, but we're not stupid. You definetely have unfinished business, and a lot of it from what I can tell."  
  
"You have to deal with it, Ryou," Grim said gently, her voice soft and calming. "If you don't finish it, you'll keep on reincarnating, and every reincarnation will meet with the same people you meet, and whoever you have the unfinished business with, will keep on getting the same problem."  
  
Bakura's fist tightened, his fingernails digging into his palm. His head was bent low, so you couldn't see the expression on his face clearly.  
  
"Anyway, that's why we brought your souls here. So far, we've gathered that you have unfinished business with Bakura, but that's about all."  
  
His head snapped up. "Wait, did you say our souls? I thought that-"  
  
"-This is just a dream? Nah, on the street, I used a little magic so that when you reached your house, you would become unconcious and your soul would come here," Reaper said brightly. Bakura blinked, she was definetely the weirdest girl he had ever met. So happy even though she was talking about removing his soul from his body.  
  
"Anyway," Grim interjected, "You two have to stay here, until Ryou finishes his business with you, Bakura. Then we can talk about what'll happen with his soul."  
  
"That's easy, I want to go to heaven," Ryou said quickly.  
  
"You may say that now, but you'll be surprised at how easily you can change your mind," Reaper said lightly, getting out of her seat. "Come, your rooms are already prepared."  
  
After walking down the hall and down a flight of stairs, they reached their bedrooms, one across from one another. They were pretty plain, a four poster bed, a desk, a couple of chairs, and a fireplace with a burning log in it.  
  
"It's not much, but we didn't have much time to prepare. You're free to go anywhere you want, including the forest, but be careful. Some places have dangerous things inside," she explained. "Me and my sister's room are down the hall, just knock if you need anything."  
  
She left to go to her own room, leaving Bakura and Ryou standing alone in the hallway. After a moment of awkward silence, they said their good night's to each other and closed the door softly.  
  
'This is really weird. Two wacko's are trying to help bring my Ryou back, when it's none of their business. Whatever Ryou's unfinished business is with me, we'll work it out on our own,' he thought while shedding his shirt and pants, leaving him only in a pair of boxers. He pulled the blood-red sheets over him, waiting for a blissful sleep to come to him.  
  
Just as he was about to drift off, he heard a soft knock at his door. Slightly confused he told whoever it was to come in. He was surprised to see it was Ryou, wearing only his jeans and boxers. Bakura tried very hard not to stare at his pale exposed chest.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I-I can't sleep, my room's too big for just one person," he said timidly, approaching the side of Bakura's bed and sitting down at the end. Bakura looked at him rather amusedly.  
  
"So you want to sleep with me for the night?"  
  
"Yeah, if you don't mind..."  
  
"Of course not, Ryou."  
  
He smiled gratefully then crawled underneath the blankets, lying on his side slightly curled up. His back was turn towards Bakura, who was resisting the urge to pounce on him and stripping him of what little clothing he wore.  
  
"Bakura?"  
  
"...Hm? What?"  
  
"Are you wearing something? Because it would be really awkward if you weren't," Ryou said, blushing a little. Bakura turned pink too.  
  
"Boxers, and that's it."  
  
"Oh, all right."  
  
Silence followed, but in a few moments, the two teens were sleeping peacefully, and light breathing could only be heard. A few hours later, Ryou awoke, but kept his eyes closed. He was wonderfully warm for some reason, and it wasn't the blanket. And it felt nice and cozy, why should he wake up just yet?  
  
Snuggling closer into the warm, he felt his hand rub against something soft and satiny, and he wondered vaugely what it was.  
  
"Mmm....miine," a familiar voice mumbled in his ear, and he froze.  
  
Bakura and Ryou, who had been sleeping on opposite sides of the bed, had some how inched closer together in sleep, and were so close that Bakura had wrapped both arms tightly around his hikari.  
  
"B-B-Bakura?" Ryou whispered frantically. His only response was to hug him tighter, and nuzzle his bare neck lovingly.  
  
"My Ryou, you can't have him..." he muttered.  
  
"Bakura, snap out of it," he whispered.  
  
He uttered a small gasp when Bakura lightly placed small kisses on his cheek and down his neck. He squirmed slightly, was his yami out of his mind?  
  
Then again, it did feel nice, even though he couldn't tell if Bakura was awake or asleep. He slowly relaxed and cuddled closer to him, his back leaning against Bakura's chest. Slowly sleep began to take over him again, and he smiled sleepily when he felt Bakura kiss his neck again.  
  
'Mmm, could definetely get used to this...'  
  
When Bakura woke up, he got confused when he saw his surroundings, but then remembered what had happened yesterday. He looked down at the soft angelic features of his hikari and smiled. He looked beautiful and peaceful when he slept.  
  
'He looks so tempting, I really wish I could just tear off his jeans and - no, I must keep thoughts like that in the back of my head for now. Otherwise something bad might happen and he gets the wrong impression...'  
  
So he simply placed a gentle kiss on Ryou's cheek, then started to get out of bed. A knock on the door stopped him from pulling on yesterday's shirt, and without waiting for an answer, Grim opened the door, dressed in a hardly buttoned-up black blouse and a long black skirt, topped off with her long black hair pulled in a ponytail and black lipstick. She didn't seem at all surprised that Bakura was only in boxers, and handed him a neatly folded bundle.  
  
"Didn't you ever learn to wait for a reply before barging into a room?" he asked irritatedly. She shrugged, then smiled.  
  
"No. Manners are something that you mortals created, and we afterlife creatures never really picked it up. Anyway, here are some fresh new clothes that you might like to wear, and there's another pair in there for Ryou. I found them while digging around my closet, they'll all fit you."  
  
"Um, thanks I guess."  
  
"Your welcome," she said calmly, starting to walk out.  
  
"Hey, how come you have guy's clothing?" he asked suspiciously. She smiled that chilling smile.  
  
"Would you believe they're the clothes of some of my victims?"  
  
"You're sick," he said disgustedly. She laughed, almost sounding evil if it weren't for that mischevious look in her silver eyes.  
  
"Relax, I'm kidding. They're my old boyfriend's clothes, they're safe to wear."  
  
"Well, if you don't mind, I'll stick to wearing my own stuff, just in case your lying. I can't really imagine any guy liking you," he muttered, pulling the long sleeved shirt down over his chest. He didn't know if she heard that last remark, but if she did she was ignoring it.  
  
"The kitchen's downstairs, and me and Reaper can't join you for breakfast unfortunately. Our killing shift starts in a couple of minutes, and we might be gone the whole day. So that means that you two'll be all alone in the castle, and you two should really take that time to work things out."  
  
"Me and Ryou are fine, we have nothing to work out," Bakura snapped, pulling up his jeans and buttoning them. Grim raised her eyebrows then shrugged.  
  
"Whatever, just don't ruin the castle anymore than it is already, or else you'll be paying for all of the repairs in the afterlife." She left the room and shut the door firmly, leaving the two boys alone.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"Ah, shit!" Bakura cursed, promptly dropping the knife and sucking the blood out of the cut on his finger. He had decided not to wake up his beautiful angel, and let him sleep in. So now he was trying to make his own breakfast, even though he was fast learning that it was hard work.  
  
"Are you all right Bakura?" a sleepy voice said, and Ryou appeared at the doorway. His eyes were still half-lidded, and his head was resting against the stone wall. He had thrown on a black button-up shirt from Grim's pile of clothing, but left it undone so that his chest was still showing. Bakura examined his finger then turned on the cold water. (A/n: Yes, they have plumbing even though they live in a castle, don't ask how)  
  
"I'm fine, Ryou, the knife just slipped, that's all. How come you're up?"  
  
"Mm, I always wake up around this time. Can I see how your finger is?" Bakura reluctantly showed it to him, and Ryou frowned.  
  
"That looks like it cut deep."  
  
"I'm fine, Ryou, really I am."  
  
"Let me go find a bandage or something." Before he could protest, Ryou grabbed a first aid kit and opened it, cleaning the cut with iodine then wrapping gauze around it. Bakura hissed at the sting of it, but let Ryou gently do his work.  
  
"Why do you do this?"  
  
"Do what?" Ryou asked absentmindedly.  
  
"Care for me, even though I've treated you like scum in the past."  
  
Ryou paused, then looked up into the wondering gaze of his yami.  
  
"Because....everybody needs someone to be there for," he said softly. "Even if they're the most unlikely of all people."  
  
"...I really don't know how to thank you, Ryou, for doing this for me," Bakura said awkwardly.  
  
Ryou gave a small smile. "You'll think of something later." After staring at each other for a few more minutes, Bakura tore his gaze away from his hikari and starting cutting up the onions and the peppers again for his omelet. Ryou started helping him, and they worked together in silence, their minds full of thoughts of each other.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Diane: What?! I thought they were gonna kiss!!  
  
AR: Nah, too soon. Plus I'm feeling very lazy and I don't wanna write a nice long kissing scene  
  
Diane: -.-n Is anybody else starting to get pissed off at her?  
  
AR: ^_^ Who me?  
  
Diane: *glares* Your halo's crumbling into a pile of dust  
  
AR: ^^;; Uh-oh, I feel a whacking coming on... *runs off*  
  
Diane: Get back here you evil hikari!! *runs after her*  
  
AR: Anyway, plz review, no flames, blah blah blah, you know what I say!! Ja ne!!! 


	7. The Confession

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, unfortunetely  
  
AR: ^_^ Me luv reviews!! *hugs all the reviewers*  
  
Diane: Are you all right, Angel-chan?  
  
AR: *goes around singing* You're my little fluffy one, my fluffy one that makes my mouth go yum!!  
  
Diane: OO;;;; I think she's been watching too much TV  
  
AR: *giggles* That song from that yogurt commercial is so funny!! *goes bouncing around the room* Wee!! I'm feeling warm and fuzzy and cute!!  
  
Diane: Yep, too much TV and sugar today...  
  
AR: You make all my fluffy whippy dreams come truee!!! *faints*  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
The castle was like a maze, impossible to find your way around and surprises were around every corner. Bakura was exploring it, mostly out of boredom. Ryou had disappeared sometime after breakfast, and he didn't know where he was, but he didn't really care. All he wanted to do was get out of this freaky place.  
  
He paused as he passed by a slightly open door, because steam was lazily drifting out of the crack. He pushed it open a little bit, then opened it all the way when he saw it was a oversized bathroom, with periwinkle blue tiles all along the wall and floors. It looked like there were several halls that led to other places, and Bakura guessed that they led to showers or bathtubs, since there were none in the main room. One wall had a shelf filled with various oils, lotions, and shampoos, plus a neatly folded pile of fluffy towels and bathrobes. There in the middle was a large jacuzzi, bubbling and steaming warm water.  
  
Bakura had forgotten to ask the girls where the bathroom was to take his usual morning shower. But now that he had found it, he was sure that they wouldn't mind if he used it.  
  
Quickly stripping down to nothing, he turned the hot water on full blast and sighed as it rained down above him. He slicked back his wet hair and started cleaning himself as slowly as possible with the not too girly soap he found.  
  
Ryou paused as he started to get out of the bathtub. Was someone else in the bathroom? It sounded like water was running, but he couldn't tell where. Sound bounced off the tiled walls and made it seem it was coming in every direction.  
  
He had been trying to find his way around the castle, when he accidentally met one of the spirits that haunted the castle. It wasn't feeling too friendly at the moment, so he slimed Ryou. Then a nicer ghost, a young girl with blonde and black locks, told Ryou where he could clean off, and that's why he was in the bathtub.  
  
Ryou wrapped a towel loosely around hips, then started to walk up the hallway. The running water seemed to be louder in one of the halls that branched off of that one. Hesitating, he started to walk down it. He peered around the corner, then entered the room. His eyes widened when he saw Bakura showering, his back facing him. He tried to keep his gaze from avoiding the lower half of his body, but it wasn't really working.  
  
'Holy shit, I hope he doesn't turn around.'  
  
Bakura turned around when he heard an odd noise behind him, kind of a mix between a squeak and a gulp. Bakura's eyes widened, and Ryou quickly started backing away, his eyes closed and covered by his hand.  
  
'Ok, definetely not good. You just saw your yami naked, Ryou. It's definetely gonna be a while before that image gets erased from my mind...'  
  
He felt his towel slip down, and he frantically tried to pull it up and tighten it with one hand. Somehow his feet stumbled over each other, and he fell down backwards onto the floor. A few moments later, he heard the pitter-patter of wet feet walking quickly across the cold tiled floor, and he kept his eyes shut tightly.  
  
"Ryou are you ok?" he heard Bakura ask worriedly.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine...but are you at least wearing a towel?"  
  
"Why? You aren't."  
  
Ryou felt himself blush heavily. 'Oh shit, it must of fallen off when I fell.'  
  
He opened his eyes and started to reach for it, carefully avoiding looking at the naked Bakura. A hand grabbed his wrist, and he looked at his yami's face questioningly.  
  
"You don't really need it, Ryou. You have nothing to be ashamed of," Bakura said quietly, looking over his Ryou slowly. He was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon.  
  
"I'm not ashamed, I'm just, it's just that, um...this is really awkward," he mumbled, blushing harder.  
  
"Uh-huh, right." It sounded like Bakura didn't quite believe him.  
  
"Bakura, stop looking at me like that," he said uncomfortably, pulling his hand free of Bakura's grasp so that he could cover his manhood with both of his hands.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like you love me."  
  
"But...I do," he whispered. "And it's not a lie."  
  
"Prove it to me," Ryou said, shifting slightly so that he didn't need to use both hands.  
  
Bakura leaned in and kissed him gently, his hands placed on both sides of Ryou's face. To his delight, Ryou kissed back, and the feel of those full soft lips against his was like heaven. He deepened the kiss, licking over his lips and gaining entrance into the warm moist cavern.  
  
'How interesting, Ryou smells like vanilla but tastes like chocolate...' Bakura thought vaguely, inching closer to his hikari and his one hand trailing down to his chest. Ryou moaned into the kiss as he felt his nipple getting teased by Bakura's hand. They finally but reluctantly stopped, taking in air after so long. Bakura smiled down at Ryou, who had an amazed look on his adorable face.  
  
"I'd say that proves enough," he whispered in his ear, standing up slowly and offering his hand to Ryou. He helped pulled him up, then offered him the towel that had laid forgotten on the floor.  
  
"Oh, thanks," Ryou said, blushing lightly. He wrapped it around his waist again, and started walking down the hall and to the main bathroom, picking up his clothes as he went along. Bakura followed his example, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around himself. Except he was smiling to himself as he stared at the retreating figure that was his hikari.  
  
'Mmm, I wonder if I can steal a taste again tonight...'  
  
He unconciously licked his lips, then started to follow Ryou out the door. Plots were starting to form in his mind, but they were unexpectedly interrupted when he heard two familiar voices arguing.  
  
"Reaper, how could you not have seen that demon coming? That's a classic fight tactic they use, we've must of seen it a billion times!!"  
  
"I know, I'm sorry, Grim. But lately my magic's a little out of wack, and I think it's affecting my body."  
  
"I don't want your excuses, Reaper! Now I want you to rest and sleep tomorrow, you need time for your magic to work. And then after that, you'll be back on the job. I can't stand working alone, you know that?"  
  
"Right, whatever, I'm gonna take a soak for about an hour, go wake me up if I fall asleep."  
  
Reaper quickly appeared around the corner, her robes dirtied and torn in several places, and on the left side of her face was a quickly darkening bruise. She glanced at Bakura tiredly, who was still only covered in a towel, then stepped behind a screen to undress.  
  
"I thought Grim said you two might not be back all day."  
  
"Yeah, well, our shift varies from day to day. Today, we got to come back early so that I get time to heal," she said, her voice slightly muffled from behind the screen.  
  
She quickly stepped out from behind the screen, tying the knot around her bathrobe tighter. She inspected the jacuzzi and inhaled the steam. She splashed some of the hot water onto her face, and sighed.  
  
"Ah, perfect." She glanced at Bakura, then made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go, scat, unless you're a pervert and look at naked girls all the time."  
  
"Nah, I prefer looking at guys more," he said, walking out of the bathroom casually. She stared after him, then hopped into the steaming water and held her head underwater for a few minutes.  
  
"I don't know if he was joking or not," she muttered to herself when she finally came back up, water dripping from her long black hair.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
After Grim cooked a delicious dinner for all four of them, the sisters headed towards the library, and the two boys were left on their own to go explore the castle again.  
  
"There was definetely a change between them," Grim said thoughtfully, sitting in front of the fire. Her sister joined her in a seat nearby and curled up like a cat.  
  
"Mm-hmm, how so?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"Well, they were friendlier, and they kept exchanging glances, like they share a little secret. And plus, their hands kept on touching."  
  
"Oh, I see..." Reaper paused, and she thought back to that afternoon. "Hmm, I wonder..."  
  
"You wonder what?"  
  
"Oh, nothing important."  
  
Grim looked at her sister suspiciously. "Do you know something that I don't?"  
  
Reaper smiled innocently. "No, nothing at all. It's just that I had a weird thought, that's all."  
  
The black-haired girl still didn't look convinced. "Right..."  
  
Reaper sunk back down deep into her thoughts, sorting them out slowly. Her eyes widened in realization, then smiled secretively.  
  
'Hmm, if what I suspect is true, then those two will have solved their unfinished business soon....I just hope it doesn't involve anything messy that we'll have to clean up after.'  
  
She repressed a shudder, then gave a little yawn and curled up on the couch to take a nap.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryou was about to take his shirt off before he went to bed, went someone knocked on his door. Guessing correctly who it was, he slowly opened the door, and smiled when he saw his yami standing there.  
  
"What are you doing here, Bakura?"  
  
"I'd thought I check to see how my hikari's doing," he said casually, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it as Bakura took his hand and gently led him over to the bed.  
  
"Bakura?"  
  
"I just want to know something, Ryou," he said suddenly, looking him straight in the eye.  
  
"What? Whatever it is, I'll answer it."  
  
"You know that I love you, but do you love me back?"  
  
"Why would you ask a question like that?" Ryou said alarmed, and also feeling a little hurt.  
  
"It's so hard to tell with you, hikari," he murmured, his hand gently stroking Ryou's cheek. He leaned into the gentle caress and stared at his yami. It was still so amazing at how different he was acting from when he was alive.  
  
"Please Bakura, believe me, I do love you with all of my heart. I just wanted to make sure that you love me too," he softly said. Bakura's hand fell down limply, and he stared unblinkingly at him. Finally he smiled, and leaned in closer, kissing his love gently and tenderly as if he was handling a priceless treasure.  
  
"All right, I believe you. But there is one other thing I would like to know."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Would you like me to sleep over here tonight? I promise nothing will happen." He sounded sincere enough on the last part, and Ryou nodded gladly. They undressed down to what they normally wear when they sleeped, then pulled the warm red blanket over them as Ryou cuddled closer to Bakura, and drifted off to sleep with a content smile on his face.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Diane: ^_^ Aw, kawaii, although it did take u quite a while to finish it  
  
AR: *dressed in black* Yeah, I suppose so. But I have a good reason, Diane. My very best fic ever, "Where Do Angels Go When They Die?", got deleted becuz there were 2 tiny lemons in them. 2 FRIGGIN' LEMONS THAT U COULD EASILY SKIP OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Diane: O_O Suddenly I feel very bad for yelling at her about the first lemon in that fic...  
  
AR: It's ok though, it's on MM.Org also. But it's so depressing when the fic that you poured your heart into gets destroyed in a minute. And by a weirdo named Atomic Ghoul. *looks around* Diane?  
  
Diane: ;_; *cries in the corner* That's so sad. Even sadder than the first chapter of this fic!!  
  
AR: *sighs* I'll be all right, I already cried a couple tears. Anyway, next chapter, it's Bakura's birthday, and Ryou's thinking about the perfect gift to give him. Reaper helps out too. What is it? And they'll also be discussing ways to give Ryou a body, since he's only a soul.  
  
Diane: Can I give Baku-chan a gift?  
  
AR: Sure, why not? Anyway, u know the drill. Plz review, no flames, and ja ne!! 


	8. The Love

Disclaimer: Waah!! I don't own YuGiOh!!  
  
AR: *sulks* I hate school....  
  
Diane: *pats AR's back* It's ok, Angel-chan  
  
AR: They made us wait outside in the cold for half an hour, and it was all becuz the smoke detector was malfuntioning and started beeping!!!! Grr, even a tiny piece of paper burning would of been good...  
  
Diane: ^^;; You want your school to burn down to ashes?  
  
AR: YES!!! CURSE THE SCHOOL FOR ALL I CARE, AND LET THE TEACHERS BURN INSIDE TOO!!!!!!!! Except for Mr. Smith, my Social Studies teacher. He's very funny, so he lives. Plus, he likes to hunt deer and such...I wonder if I can borrow his gun? ^_^  
  
Diane: *sighs* Oh the thoughts of a sadistic young mind, aren't they wonderful?  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Ryou woke up to the feeling of something warm and wet entering in his ear, followed by a sharp nip at his earlobe. He moaned as the sensual act continued, whimpering slightly as the actions stopped. He then heard someone chuckle and kiss him on the cheek.  
  
"Wake up, Ryou, it's already ten o'clock."  
  
"What?!" He sat up and was about to throw the blankets off when Bakura's hand reach out and grasped his wrist firmly.  
  
"Relax, Ryou, remember, we're in Grim and Reaper's castle. There's no need to rush around here, since we have nothing to do." Bakura let go of his hikari and watched as he got out of bed and start to dress in the clothes that the girls gave them.  
  
"Where are those girls anyway, Bakura?"  
  
"Well, Reaper's in her room because she's off-duty until tomorrow, so Grim's out doing, um, whatever she does in the daytime."  
  
Ryou left the first two button holes of his light blue shirt undone, and the ends were untucked from his pants. Bakura managed to steal a kiss from his before they walked downstairs for breakfast, which Reaper was busy making in the kitchen.  
  
"Hello," she said absentmindedly. "Would you like your pancakes with anything?"  
  
"Would you like help, Reaper?" Ryou asked politely. She shook her head, then handed him two plates stacked with their breakfast.  
  
"Ryou, me and Grim have been on our own for a while, so we know how to take care of ourselves. But it is sweet of you to offer."  
  
She kissed him lightly on the cheek, causing him to blush a little. Bakura looked a little bit annoyed at the unexpected emotional display, but chose not to say anything. Instead he cleared his throat as his hikari sat next to him and started eating.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Ryou paused as he walked down the hall from his and Bakura's room. Which room belonged to which girl? He had forgotten to ask Reaper. Oh well, all that he needed was a few things, and then he would would return them when he was done with them.  
  
He opened the door to his left and quickly looked around. The whole place seemed to be based on one color. Black curtains, black blankets and sheets, black table and chairs, a black rug, and obviously, an open closet filled with various black clothings. There were even some unlit black candles, probably homemade by the girls.  
  
He started to explore the closet, pushing through the masses of dark tops. A little cough caught his attention, and made him turn around. Reaper was standing at the doorway, wearing a slightly amused look on her face.  
  
"Ryou, why are you looking at Grim's clothes? Planning to cross-dress or something?"  
  
"Er, um, well..." he started, but she held up her hand and motioned for him to follow her. Obediently he followed, right across the hall and into Reaper's room. She shut the door and sat down comfortably on her bed, while Ryou sat down in one of the few chairs scattered around the room.  
  
Reaper's room was much more colorful than her sisters, at least it had a little blue and white with the black. But still, it had a bit of that cold feeling to it, probably because there was a skull with a candle inside it on the desk and a bloodied sword handing on the wall.  
  
"So Ryou, what were you doing in Grim's room?"  
  
He squirmed slightly. "I need your help with something that I want to do. Tonight."  
  
"Anything in particular? Whatever it is, I'm sure it involves Bakura," she said, never losing that amused look. Ryou stared at her briefly.  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"Well, let's just say I have a knack for figuring out unfinished businesses, particularly yours." She patted his shoulder comfortingly and smiled gently. "You two make a very good pair, trust me."  
  
He gaped at her, his mouth fallen open and hanging for several minutes. Then he recovered from his initial shock and forced a smile on his face. That wasn't what he was expecting.  
  
"Now, didn't you mention something about needing my help, Ryou?" she asked innocently.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Since Ryou had disappeared after breakfast and had been gone for most of the day, Bakura decided to explore the castle a bit more. So far, he had discovered Grim and Reaper's weaponry and armory, practice/training room, library, and what looked like an indoor garden. He made a mental note to go back there, since a lot of flowers were in full bloom despite the fact that it was in the middle of fall, and getting colder.  
  
The next door he opened cautiously, since he caught a whiff of the particular odor in the air. He poked his head in and looked around. It appeared to be their workshop, since a large table had books, bowls, cauldrons and other random things scattered across his surface. And a large cauldron bubbled over a crackling fire, bluish smoke rising omninously from it's surface.  
  
"What the-"  
  
"It's a potion that helps speed up the healing process, and makes me stronger too," Reaper explained, startling him. He hadn't even heard her coming up from behind him. She walked briskly past him and motioned for him to come in. He hesitantly did so, watching her take a ladleful of the dark smoking liquid and pouring it carefully into a cup. She gulped it down quickly, making a face when she was done.  
  
"Awful and nasty stuff..."  
  
"Then why do you drink it?"  
  
She shrugged. "Because, I can't afford to take a day off just because I get hurt or sick. Plotting the deaths of mortals and taking their souls away is hard work, ya know. That's why I work with Grim."  
  
It was a strange idea for Bakura that two young girls (well, young-looking anyway, he didn't know their ages) could have jobs killing people. And what was even stranger, was the fact that they liked doing it.  
  
She changed the subject quickly. "So Bakura, have you and Ryou worked out your unfinished business?"  
  
For a minute he was confused by the question, he had forgotten the reason why he and Ryou were brought here. "Oh, um, yeah, it's all worked out."  
  
She had to cough to cover her smile. "So then, what do you want Ryou to do?"  
  
"Huh?" He looked clueless, which was actually kinda cute. (Diane: Are u insulting Bakura's intelligence? AR: No!! I just mean that he looks cute when he's clueless!!)  
  
"Well, Ryou could go back to the world of the living with you and get a second chance, or he could go to the afterlife and live in peace. The decision is up to Ryou, but it is also up to you too, Bakura," she explained simply. "You don't have to choose now, you have plenty of time. But if you did have to choose now, what would you want?"  
  
Bakura just automatically said the first option that came to mind. "Um, I guess that I would like Ryou to come back to life. Is that even possible?"  
  
"With the right potion, it can be done," she said, picking a spell book off from a bookshelf he hadn't even noticed and opened it flicking through the old yellowed pages. "Would you like me to make the potion now, or later?"  
  
"I don't even know if he'll say yes, Reaper. But just in case he does, make it now."  
  
She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. He was about to leave, when he suddenly remembered something he wanted to ask.  
  
"Reaper, have you seen Ryou anything today?"  
  
The young teen glanced at her watch. Hmm, eight o'clock. Exactly when Ryou told her to send him up.  
  
"Yeah, he's been busy all day, and is resting in your room I think. If you want, you could go up and check on him."  
  
"Alright, thanks Reaper." he nearly shut the door behind him, but then stuck his head back in. She glanced at him, looking slightly annoyed.  
  
"Now what, Bakura?"  
  
"Is it ok if I take some flowers?" She nodded her head, and he smiled at her. "Thanks."  
  
This time he was gone for good from the workshop, and Reaper smirked slightly. Things were gonna get exciting around here.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
Bakura had taken two roses from the garden, both of them smelling sweet and pure. Perfect for his innocent hikari. Absentmindedly he plucked a velvety petal and rubbed it between his fingers, until he let it go and let it drift to the stone floor.  
  
Quietly he opened the door, so as not to disturb his Ryou, but stopped in mid-action as he saw what his room had transformed into. Many candles were spread across the room, on the floor, on his table, on some chairs, most of them scented with the light sweet scent of primroses. It gave the room a soft warm glow, like sunlight except more personalized. And in the middle of all, on the crimson four-poster bed was Ryou, lying down on his side with his head resting comfortably on the pillows.  
  
"Ryou..." The expression on his face when he saw what Ryou was wearing was priceless. His koi was wearing a black fishnet shirt, which showed his chest through the thin layer of mesh and stopped only a few inches above his abdomen. Leather pants clung skin-tight to his legs, and just as equally hugged low on his hips. A few dog collars hung around his neck, along with a belt chain that dangled and sparkled in the candle light.  
  
'So much for being innocent,' he thought amused, placing the forgotten roses on the nightstand and sitting down on the bed, taking a better look at his hikari. Truthfully, he liked Ryou's new look, especially the leather pants. They looked yummy on his hikari.  
  
"Where'd you get this stuff, Ryou?"  
  
He shifted so that he was laying sitting up on the bed, cushioned by the pillows. "Reaper let me borrow most of this, including these clothes."  
  
Bakura raised an eyebrow. Ryou in girl clothes? That had to be a first. But needless to say, he looked good in them. Ryou smiled innocently and crawled over to where his yami was, seating himself in his lap. Bakura was definetely enjoying this.  
  
"If you like what you see," Ryou whispered, and Bakura fought back a moan when he felt his little tongue making it's way around his ear. "Then you love it even more later."  
  
Bakura smirked, and pushed him not too gently off of his lap and straddled him. He ground his hips against his hikari's hard, listening to him make little pleasured noises when he felt heat start to gather in the lower half of his body. Ryou arched his back up, returning Bakura's seductive calling and inviting him to play.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"Reaper?" Grim poked her head into the library, where her sister was curled up in a leather arm-chair. The black-haired head looked up from the book she was reading, and her face lightened into a bright smile.  
  
"Grim! How'd it go today?"  
  
She make a face, then plopped down next to her. "Fine, but a couple of demons ambushed me for a soul-snack. Nearly chopped off my arm, but I finished them off. Do you feel any better, Reaper?"  
  
"Much better," she said, snapping her book close and putting it on the bookshelf. Grim looked around and frowned. Something was amiss, she could feel it in the air.  
  
"Where's Bakura and Ryou, sister?"  
  
"...What did you say, Grim? Wasn't listening."  
  
Her sister rolled her silvery eyes. Reaper could be so annoying sometimes, but she was her sister, so she had learned long ago how to deal with it. "Where are Ryou and Bakura, sis?"  
  
"Oh...they're busy in Bakura's room," she said vaugely, and Grim's frown deepened.  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
Reaper shrugged. She wasn't sure if Grim was going to freak out if she knew the truth. "They're finishing their unfinished business."  
  
"Oh....alright." Grim still suspected something going on, but she knew her sister too well. If she pried too hard, she would just clam up and not say a word until the subject changed. Especially if the secret she was keeping was important.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
(A/n: Ok, becuz FF.Net is so strict about lemons, I've cut it out. But if u want to read it, just go to MM.Org. Same story name, but over there I'm Black Angel Reaper)  
  
With a stifled groan he pulled his manhood out of Ryou, and fell down to rest next to him. For a while neither of them tried to move, because they were both content with the feeling that they loved one another and that they had made each other happy tonight.  
  
Finally Bakura exhaustedly got up and managed to find two bathrobes for them and wrapped himself in one, doing the same for his hikari. He carried the drowsy and curled up Ryou down to the bathroom, shedding the robe and gently placed him in the hot tub. A tiny creak of the door caught his attention, and he turned around to find Grim standing there, with an unreadable expression on her face.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, a frown on his face. "We're kinda busy here, if ya can't tell."  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that you and Ryou have until tomorrow to decide whether or not you want to go back to the real world together, or else Ryou goes off to the spirit world by himself," she said lightly. "I would think about it long and hard, if I were you."  
  
"Piss off, I'm tired and don't have the energy to think about important things," he snapped. "Now go, or else I'll personally make sure that you go to hell."  
  
"Make sure you don't drown if you fall asleep in there," she said, shutting the door behind her. He glared for a moment, then stepped into the warm waters of the big tub and sighed as they soothed his aching muscles. He began to clean off Ryou gently, seeing as how the beautiful young hikari had fallen asleep with a pleasant smile on his face.  
  
"We have plenty of time to figure out if you're going to go back with me or not," he muttered, partially to himself and partially to Ryou. He splashed the hot water onto his face, then stepped out and took Ryou out also. Drying him off, he carried him bridal style back to their room and threw a warm blanket over him. Blowing out all of the candles, he joined his hikari and draped an arm around him protectively.  
  
"Good night, Ryou....aishiteru."  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: That was incredibly long and took forever to write, but it's finally done Diane!! *looks around* Diane?  
  
Diane: *lying on the floor unconcious*  
  
AR: ^^;; Oops, guess that was the thump I heard while I wrote the lemon. She still isn't used to me reading and writing them. Anyway, please review, it really helps me when I write up new chapters and such. The next chapter will be up faster than this one, I promise. Ja ne!! 


	9. The Separation

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, you idiotic pea-brains!! I don't know how you ever became lawyers, seriously!!  
  
Diane: Venting out anger, are we?  
  
AR: . Bad day at school. Let's just say, I don't see why we need to take gym. But I'm really happy since it snowed for the first time this year!! AND we got to go home early!!! Yayness!! *does her happy dance around the room*  
  
Diane: -.-u I don't like snow. Snow isn't nice...  
  
AR: Eh, don't mind her, it's just that she got a faceful of it when I threw a snowball at her last year. *snickers* u should of seen her face, it was priceless!!  
  
Diane: *drags AR outside and then shoves her face in a snow bank* There, how do u like it?  
  
AR: *licks snow off of her face* Snow tastes good...  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"REAPER I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
That was the scream that rang throughout the castle in the early gray hours of dawn. It woke up both of the sleeping albinos, and Bakura looked around, sleepy and confused.  
  
"Who's killing who?"  
  
"Sounded like Grim," Ryou yawned, wincing at the pain in his lower body. He rested his head against Bakura's shoulder, and felt his arm curl around his body. He smiled, the ecstasy of making love to his yami still lingering in his mind.  
  
"Last night was wonderful, Bakura. Can we do it again tonight?"  
  
"Why wait for tonight?" he said smirking, his lips pressed against Ryou's hard. Forcing his tongue into that sweet-tasting mouth, his hand slipped underneath the bright scarlet blanket and sheets. Ryou gasped, then moaned when he felt Bakura's fingers run along his inner thighs and barely brush against his penis.  
  
"Mm, I suppose....we could....do it....right now," he mumbled, earning a heated kiss from his koi. He pulled closer to his warm nude body, moaning into Bakura's mouth as his hand firmly grip and start to stroke his slight arousal.  
  
He was startled when the door was kicked open and Grim was standing there, glaring at her sister as she ran up next to her. Reaper had an uneasy look on her face, but quickly wiped it blank when Grim gave a little cough.  
  
"This," she said carefully, still looking at Reaper with a disdainful expression on her face, "is what I'm gonna kill you for."  
  
Reaper blinked innocently, looking exactly like a girl who had no idea what was going on. "What, for not telling u about their unfinished business?"  
  
Grim scowled heavily at her. "For not telling me that they were gonna have a little...."fun" in here, when u know very well how I feel about homosexuality."  
  
"Hey, do you mind?" Bakura said iritably. "We were in the middle of something."  
  
His statement fell onto deaf ears, as the two girls started to argue loudly. Finally Ryou sighed and wrapped a bathrobe around himself, kissing Bakura briefly.  
  
"I'm going to get changed in my room, I'll be right back."  
  
He carefully walked around the still arguing sisters, and Bakura glared at them. After all, they were the cause as to why his sexy hikari had gone out to get dressed.  
  
"Aw, come on, Grim, they finally solved their unfinished business!! As far as I can see, that means that they can finally have some peace between them, and then that means that they can move on with their lives!!! Or afterlife!!"  
  
"I don't care, they had sex on my sheets!! And I don't like gay guys, so how do you think I feel that two homos have done it on my favorite sheets?!"  
  
"These are yours?" Bakura interrupted, examining it carefully. Grim fixed her glare on him for a minute.  
  
"Yes, those are mine, and my best ones too. You're lucky that I don't go and throw you out right now for leaving...your stuff on there." She gave a little shudder, and Bakura smirked.  
  
"If you do decide to, can you at least give me a few minutes to put on some clothes on? Because I don't think it would be good for me to go out there in the nude."  
  
Grim looked like on the verge of snapping, and Reaper hurriedly shoved her down the hall and shut the door behind them, mouthing for him to dress quickly. Bakura shrugged and pulled on some boxers. He wasn't afraid of Grim, she was just a little girl who just happened to kill people for a living.  
  
Ryou timidly came back into Bakura's room, fully clothed and looking quite different without the fishnet shirt and leather pants. Bakura greeted him with a peck on the lips, then wrapped an arm around his waist.  
  
"So, are they still fighting?" Ryou nodded, and let his head rest against his shoulder.  
  
"Grim sounds really mad. I hope that she isn't going to do anything to us," he murmured.  
  
"Don't worry, the worst they could do is probably send us to hell." Ryou sweatdropped, that wasn't really reassuring.  
  
Someone rapped on the door quickly, and without bothering to wait for someone to open, Reaper came in, a serious expression on her face. She shook her head sadly and cleared her throat.  
  
"I'm sorry guys, it's all my fault that Grim's mad. It's just that, she's not a big fan of gay or lesbian people, and I didn't tell her about your plans. And then this morning I accidentally let it slip, and then she went into her frenzy. I don't think that you should of said those things, Bakura, because now she's even madder than she was before."  
  
"Um, Reaper?" Ryou asked timidly. "Is Grim planning to do anything to us?"  
  
"It's hard to say, when Grim's mad, she might do anything," Reaper admitted, scratching her head. "But for right now, try not to cross pathes with each other, because I'm sure that she's mad enough to kill one of you, or both of you."  
  
"Gee, that's really nice to know," Bakura said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at him and sighed exasperatedly.  
  
"Just don't run into her, alright? Meanwhile, I'll go try to calm her down, and we'll see what happens." She stood taller and walked off down the hall to her sister's room.  
  
So Bakura and Ryou spent an anxious day walking quietly to various parts of the castle, avoiding the end of the hallway where two voices rose and fell in arguement. They kept on going at it until sunset, where Reaper wearily entered the library, where the two were examining the books.  
  
"Well?" Ryou finally asked after a few moments of tense silence. "What's happening?"  
  
She sighed and sank down into a leather armchair. "Would you like the good part or the bad part?"  
  
"Good part," Bakura said, finally managing to find his voice.  
  
"Well, Grim has decided to not kill you both."  
  
"A-And the bad part?" Ryou asked softly. Reaper avoided looking at their chocolate brown eyes and started fiddling with her hair.  
  
"Bakura must go back to the real world, at the first stroke of midnight. His body is still alive, but might not be in a few more days. And also, Ryou cannot go back with you, Bakura, he must have his soul judged and sent to the afterlife," she finally replied. Bakura's fist tightened, and he looked at the clock that stood on top of the mantlepiece.  
  
"It's nine o'clock. So I have to go back in three hours," he said quietly. Ryou gave a quiet whimper and moved closer to his yami, who draped an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"I am forbidden to try and give Ryou life again, and also forbidden to give Bakura an early sudden death so that you can be reunited. If I try, then instantly one of you will be sent to hell," she continued. "Grim made sure that I would not interfere in any way, and there's nothing I can do to change her mind."  
  
"So then...is that it?" He said finally. She looked around carefully, then flicked little bits of glittering black magic to magically make the library soundproof and undetectable.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll talk to a good friend of mine about how to make Grim's plans crumble. If he agrees, then you two will be back together in a week, more or less. I can't stand it when two soulmates are separated, it makes me cry."  
  
"Ironic that someone who kills people so easily can't stand a tragic love story," Bakura muttered into Ryou's ear, who weakly managed to crack a smile. He had other things in mind.  
  
"Who is this friend of yours, Reaper?"  
  
She shook her head, a small look of uneasiness flitting over her face. "He's powerful, extremely powerful. To speak his name out loud makes most angels and demons scared to death. I myself have trouble saying it without shivering. You'll know who he is when he comes, don't worry about that."  
  
"Just don't think about it, and enjoy the last few hours you have together. That's all you can really do, anyway," she finished, claiming back her magic and walking out of the library. The door clicked shut softly behind her, and Bakura heard Ryou sniffle slightly and wipe away a tear from his eyes.  
  
"I don't want to go without you, Bakura, I'm scared," he whispered. Bakura kissed him briefly for a moment, then let Ryou lean against his chest.  
  
"Everything will be fine, Ryou, I believe that Reaper will help us again," he reassured him. But in his mind, even he doubted that the young girl could be able to come through. There was no way that she could pull it off without Grim knowing.  
  
So in those last few hours, they waiting walking hand in hand around the castle and exchanging kisses now and then. The perfect picture of two lovers. When they reached the indoor garden, Bakura clipped off a pink rose and handed it almost shyly to Ryou, who in return gave his yami a bunch of blue forget-me-nots, the flower that means eternal love. (A/n: I think that's what forget-me-nots stand for, I used to have a book that had all of the meanings of different flowers, but then I lost it)  
  
Bakura lightly nuzzled the hollow of Ryou's neck and nipped it, leaving another pink and red mark. He sighed, running his fingers through Ryou's silky white hair absentmindedly.  
  
"It's almost midnight...they'll be coming soon."  
  
Ryou felt a lump rise up in his throat. "Already? How did time pass so fast?"  
  
Footsteps echoed in the stone corridor, and the twin sisters appeared, one looking grim and the other one looking strangely satisfied. Reaper cleared her dry throat, and motioned for them to follow her.  
  
After many twists, turns, and walking through rooms to enter other ones, they finally reached one particular looking hallway. As far as the eye could see, there were doors and doors and doors. Some big, some small, a few gilted, a few just plainly painted, and some that had mysterious markings etched on them, in ancient languages and texts that people had forgotten about over the centuries.  
  
Grim stopped in front of one particular door, one that was painted to look like it was on fire. And in the dim light, you could almost see the flames moving, flickering, ever changing. She opened it slowly, revealing that it only lead to a swirling darkness.  
  
"This will lead you back to the real world...if you can get through the fog that is," she said solemnly. Reaper checked her watch. One minute before midnight.  
  
"Now's a good time to say any last words until the next time you meet," she spoke quietly.  
  
Bakura leaned in slightly and gave him one more kiss, and tried to make it as passionate and heart-felt as he could. Ryou responded back with just as much emotion, blinking to avoid tears splashing down his face.  
  
When the need for air became great, he gently broke away, and barely whispered into Ryou's ear.  
  
"We'll be together soon, I promise. Aishiteru..."  
  
He nodded his head in the general direction of the two girls, then willingly stepped through the doorway and didn't flinch when the fog engulfed him. Grim shut the door, sighing heavily and then walking away. That left Reaper and a teary-eyed Ryou all alone in that strange corridor.  
  
She pulled out a embroidered handkerchief and offered it to Ryou, who took it and quickly dried his face with it.  
  
"Um, thanks," he said awkwardly, and she smiled.  
  
"It's nothing. I guess that this is nothing compared to what I'm going to try to do for you two."  
  
She lead the way back to the familiar parts of the castle in silence, and Ryou just stared curiously at the back of her head. She was such a strange girl to figure out, she was so sweet and cheerful, but she was also a killer, who didn't care who she took out. She was heavily veiled in mystery and wonder.  
  
"You know something? You're too nice to have a job killing people," he suddenly said, and she just laughed.  
  
"I suppose I am, but I'm not the best person in the world. I'm just trying to do what I can for you and Bakura, that's all. It's nothing special, really."  
  
"Well, I really appreciate it anyway," he said. "So thank you."  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"Damn fog is too thick," Bakura growled, squinting to see where he was going. It didn't help that it was making his clothes damp either, or that he kept on tripping over things that were on the ground. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were.  
  
So he was wet, slightly sore, and very irritated. He was starting to think that Grim sent him through the wrong door just to torture him.  
  
He started cursing her in every language he knew, when the fog started rolling back and thin. It got lighter and lighter, until it was a thin residue that was a pearly white. He stopped mid-curse and squinted slightly. There was something up ahead.  
  
Bakura started running towards it, almost getting blinded when a bright light was shone into his eyes. He felt himself falling down, and let out a strangled yell.  
  
"Hey, Bakura, are you alright?" He heard someone say, someone that sounded very familiar. He groaned, and raised an arm to block out the bright light.  
  
"Ugh, go away, I need some rest," he muttered.  
  
"More rest?! You've been sleeping for the past four days, maybe more!!"  
  
Bakura lazily opened his eyes, only to stare up into sharp lavender ones. He knew only one person who had those kind of eyes.  
  
"...Malik? What are you doing here?"  
  
The blonde frowned at him. "Waiting for you to wake up from your sleeping marathon."  
  
He was sitting cross-legged on a chair he had pulled up next to the couch, his arms folded across his chest. The Millennium Rod was hanging from his belt loop as always, and Bakura sat up stiffly.  
  
"Was I sleeping? Because that was too realistic to be dream," he muttered, closing his eyes. Flashbacks of the past few days passed through his mind, especially Ryou kissing him. He noticed that he was clutching something in his right hand, and when he took a closer look, he saw that it was a few blue forget-me-nots, slightly drooping but alive.  
  
"Ryou..."  
  
He barely noticed that Malik was speaking to him, and was glad when he left. Carefully he placed them in a glass of water, put them on the coffee table, and brushed his lips over the soft petals.  
  
"I promised you that I would come back soon, I won't break my word to you," he breathed. "I love you too much to do so."  
  
Meanwhile, Ryou was forlornly rubbing a petal of the pink rose between his finger, the velvety feeling making him think of the way Bakura would stroke him.  
  
"Come soon, Bakura...aishiteru."  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: oO;; This is one of the few times I have had to run away from Diane *zooms away from her angry yami*  
  
Diane: Get back here!! u must pay for making Ryou-chan cry!!! *attempts to whack AR w/ frying pan*  
  
AR: *avoids whacking* Like I said before, Diane, LIGHTEN UP ON THAT R/B OBSESSION U HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Diane: *finally tackles AR and starts beating the bloody pulp out of her* ONLY WHEN U PROMISE TO STOP DOING SUICIDAL DEATHES AND BREAKING UP COUPLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
AR: x_X ooooowww....er, review pleaz....I'll update when I recover from the many injuries I have from Diana-chan...she does mean well, I think..... 


	10. The Judgement

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh!!  
  
AR: *looks outside and sighs dreamily* The last bit of snow melted last week, but then a new snowstorm came yesterday, along with freezing rain. So now we have three inches of snow under a sheet of ice!!! It's so sparkly and pretty and cool-looking. Plus, SNOW DAY!!!!! *coughs* So to speak, anyway...even my cherry blossom tree has a thin layer of ice on the branches!!  
  
Diane: ^_^ I like looking at the icicles, they're long and pointy and sparkly!! *breaks one off and starts licking it*  
  
AR: oO;; u've destroyed the best icicle!!  
  
Diane: *shrugs* Oops...  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
The days seemed to crawl by for Bakura, for there seemed to be nothing to help him take his mind off of his beloved hikari. Then again, he did not want to ever let his mind wander off of Ryou. He was slightly afraid of forgetting his love.  
  
It was silly for him to think of that of course, but he couldn't help but be afraid.  
  
He was starting to have nightmares that when he died, Ryou would run up to him and throw his arms around him, kissing him frantically. But then he would look at him blankly, and say that he didn't know him. The crushed look on Ryou's face in his dreams were what made him the most afraid.  
  
The blue forget-me-nots tried to survive, but they eventually died, and Bakura carefully plucked off the petals to scatter in the winds. He watched as they danced on a chilling breeze, a indication that winter was almost upon them. The petals themselves seemed to be snowflakes drifting about.  
  
A few days later, while the first fluffy snow fell, Bakura was in a small cafe drinking his expresso. He stared out the window, watching the snowflakes fall to the ground and gradually build up. It was amazing how such a beautiful thing like snow could fall at this time in his life.  
  
Painfully he remembered how Ryou would just sit at the front stoop of their house and watch the snow fall, until he got too cold or it got too dark. It would catch in his already white hair, or his long eyelashes, or his pink tongue when he stuck it out. Bakura used to think it was childish of him to do that, but he secretly liked the way he looked after he got into the house. Rosy-cheeked, curled up by the fireplace so that he could warm up faster, a content smile on his face, sometimes he would fall asleep there and then Bakura would carry him up to his room.  
  
'Oh gods, I miss him, even though I know that he's in heaven somewhere now,' he thought tiredly. Paying his check, he started walking around downtown Domino, wondering what he should do now. His cell phone started ringing when he was staring at a weaponry shop window, and he fumbled to pull it out of his pocket.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Bakura, it's Malik."  
  
"Really? It doesn't sound like you, Ishtar." That was true, his voice was deeper than before, but it didn't have the insane quality to be Marik either. Plus, it sounded slightly stiff and awkward, which was unlike Malik.  
  
"I need you to meet me at your house, right now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"There's no time to explain. Just come, and then I'll tell you the whole story then. Alright?"  
  
"Alright, fine," Bakura sighed, "But this had better not be a waste of my time, Ishtar."  
  
He hung up immediately and started back towards his street, contemplating what one of his more trusted friends had asked for him to do. Why go to his own house? Why not go to Malik's house? And how did he know that Bakura wasn't at home?  
  
He frowned slightly, there was something strange going on, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He still didn't know when he reached his house and opened the door. He was slightly surprised when he saw Malik sitting comfortably on one of the couches, but then shook it off.  
  
"So, what's wrong, Malik?" he asked casually as he shed his coat and tossed it to the floor. Something flitted across Malik's eyes as he stood up.  
  
"I am not Malik Ishtar."  
  
Bakura's eyes widened and he whirled around when he unsheathed his dagger. He made no attempts to advance, and instead only stared at the albino with blank lavender eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" he growled. He shrugged, and inspected the sharpness of the blade's edge.  
  
"I am no longer living, so I had to use your friend's body in order to fufill Reaper's request. I must say, this friend of yours has a lot of weapons for a mortal."  
  
His guard only went down a notch. "You know Reaper?"  
  
"Yes. I find her a fascinating young creature, such happiness and carefree feelings, yet she kills swiftly and silently like myself. Must be why I became her friend in the first place." He grinned a sadistic smile, and licked the blade lightly.  
  
"But we're getting off-topic. Now, Reaper told me that I must kill you, but it must look like a suicide. A bit on the simple side, but I can pull off anything. Anyway, how would you like to be killed? Quick with little pain or drawn out and bloody?"  
  
Bakura grinned, whoever this guy was, he liked. "Drawn out and bloody."  
  
Silently the spirit that was posessing Malik grabbed his wrist and sliced it to the bone, and Bakura watched fascinatedly as the blood immediately poured out in thick streams. The spirit repeated the action several times, so that there were five uneven cuts on each wrist, each one pouring out a dazzling amount of blood. Bakura ran his finger across one, licking his coppery tasting blood off. When he started feeling light-headed, he sat down on the couch, not caring that the blood was staining it's surface.  
  
"Would you like to deliver the final blow?" the spirit asked, holding out the dagger, a small amount of blood on the edges. Bakura accepted it from him, pausing before the blade entered his chest.  
  
"What will happen when I die?"  
  
"I was given strict orders to take you to the judgement hall. Reaper and Ryou will be waiting there," he replied.  
  
Brightened up by that fact, Bakura shoved the dagger deep within his chest, piercing his beating heart and causing blood to spurt out immediately. He didn't flinch at all, and instead sighed, sinking down deeper into the soft cushions. The blood showed a dark red against the cream colored couch.  
  
"Can I see...what you really look like? And tell me your name..." he said softly, his breathing getting ragged and harsh. He nodded, then let Malik's body fall to the floor unconcious. For a few moments, there was only a dark haze that slowly took the form of a human, then gave way to startling details.  
  
His skin was literally an ashy gray, and his eyes were as black as shadows. He gave off an aura that spoke of death, destruction and chaos, and his mouth was always in a mysterious smile. Had blood-red hair that rippled down to his earlobes, and wore black robes that draped from his shoulders and trailed down past his feet, with holes in it for his jet-black wings to go through. Bakura could see the hilt of a sword handing from his belt, and was sure he had plenty more weapons hidden in his robes.  
  
"They call me Gabriolis, the Fallen One," he said, voice deep and rich [1]. Bakura nodded, then closed his eyes for the last time. His body when limp, and then his soul slowly rose, and stood next to the dark angel. It was such a strange sight, one almost completely black, and the other almost completely white.  
  
"Take me to my hikari now, I am ready," he demanded, and Gabriolis just laughed, a chilling sound.  
  
"Then get ready for a rough trip." Without warning he grabbed Bakura by the waist and flew up like a rocket taking off. They easily passed through walls and other material things, and in a matter of minutes Domino City was just a speck on the ground below. Bakura felt his stomach lurch, but he didn't scream or make any kind of noise. His mind was only locked on seeing Ryou again.  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
"Ryou?"  
  
Reaper cautiously poked her black-haired head into his bedroom, curious when she saw that Ryou was sitting on the window seat with the window wide open.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"It's snowing," he said quietly. Indeed it was, and there was already a thin layer of white powder on the ground below.  
  
"I love it when it snows, and I love watching it fall. It always seemed magical..." He trailed off, and then reached over and shut the window firmly.  
  
"Well, I came in here to let you know, that the judging of your soul is in twenty minutes. Be prepared," she cautioned. He nodded absentmindedly.  
  
So the day had come, the day that Ryou would finally know if he would go to heaven or not. But Bakura still hadn't come back. And Ryou had been fast loosing faith, even though Reaper had been gently urging him to keep on believing.  
  
Sighing sadly, he slowly tugged on a sweater over his T-shirt and went in search of the only friendly face in the castle. Grim was doing a very good job at avoiding him and not looking at him as little as possible. Unfortunately, she had to accompany them when they had to go to the judging.  
  
"Rules and policies of the afterlife," Reaper whispered apologetically in his ear. "The people who helped finish the soul's business must attend his judging of the souls."  
  
He nodded weakly to her, he didn't really register what she was saying anyway. His stomach seemed to have the butterflies for some reason.  
  
Ryou loosely held the dark haired girl's hand, while she snapped her fingers with her other hand, eyes closed to concentrate on thought. With a small pop, they both vanished, reappearing in front of a giant stone building.  
  
"Welcome," she said, smiling happily, "to the Hall of Judgement."  
  
Even though Ryou still felt nervous, he was also in awe of the place. It was made entirely of white marble, and there were so many people dress in long trailing white robes. On the right half, there was a golden winged angel that was herding certain people to a giant door that led outside, and probably to the gates of heaven, Ryou assumed. On the left half, there was a black winged demon that was wiping blood away from the corners of his mouth, picking up people and tossing them carelessly through a door that was painted to look like it was on fire.  
  
"Those are the messengers from both realms that help people along the path to their certain destinations," she explained. She pointed to the narrow hallway in front of them, filled with people waiting patiently in line for something.  
  
"And this hallway leads to the judging room, where the four supreme angels make the judgement of your soul. The wait actually isn't as long as most people think it is, because all they do is take a vote on who wants you in heaven and who wants you in hell.Usually it's unanimous, or else one angel overrules another."  
  
"NEXT!!" A voice boomed, and Ryou jumped back a little. Reaper gave a little cough to cover up a snicker. The first person in line went through the white doors and closed it shut. The black haired girl turned her attention to Grim, who suddenly popped up next to her.  
  
"Well, at least the line isn't as bad as it usually is," she said, looking at where they were standing. "Sometimes it's near the front door, or way outside past the steps."  
  
"Yeah," she agreed, "lucky that Ryou's judging was on a not so busy day."  
  
Silence remained between the three people, watching as the line in front got shorter and shorter, while the line behind them started getting longer and longer. Finally when Ryou was standing in front of the white doors, and the male voice shouted for the next person to go in, Grim opened the door for all of them, and Ryou silently walked in. He barely heard Reaper whisper good luck to him, or see Grim shut the door to the small but cozy room.  
  
It was furnished with leather chairs and dark stained oak wall panellings, and four people were sitting behind a long polished table. Three of the four were male, with handsome faces and comforting airs to them. The fourth was a female, beautiful and willowy, with a graceful look to her. Grim and Reaper sat themselves comfortably in the leather chairs closest to them, while Ryou just sat on the edge of his chair uncomfortably. He had the vague wish that Bakura was here to hold his hand, or whisper it would go alright.  
  
"There is no need to be afraid, mortal, we're only going to ask a few questions, and then decide. Now, let's get started, shall we?" The man on the furthest right of the table said, the engraved gold nameplate proclaiming "Archangel Micheal".  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
Ryou's throat seemed to be stuck. "R-Ryou Bakura," he managed to rasp out.  
  
The second man, his nameplate said "Angel Gabriel", flipped through a enormous book, and finally paused at one certain spot.  
  
"Found it, let's see...not bad I suppose. Good soul, good heart, although abuse and pain always seem to come back into your life...commited suicide and then got reincarnated?"  
  
"Girls?" the third man quieried, his said "Angel Daniel", and Reaper spoke first.  
  
"If you may or may not know, Ryou carried the Millennium Ring, which contained a yami spirit, who called himself Bakura. He was from Ancient Egypt, then was imprisoned within the Item for tomb robbing."  
  
Grim started speaking as well. "Bakura at first was very nice to Ryou, but then somehow found a way to create his own body. He took advantage of it and started beating Ryou. It got worse as the months passed, but he wouldn't stop, and Ryou didn't want to tell anyone."  
  
"He was pushed to the edge, and that's when he commited suicide. But as you know, only souls with unfinished business are reincarnated, until they finish it with the help of an Angel of Death or any other angel. And Ryou did have unfinished business...with Bakura."  
  
Ryou half-listened to his tale from their views. It was so strange that they were so acurate in their describing, and they had only known each other for about a week and a half, more or less.  
  
"Ryou loved Bakura, but didn't tell him before he died. He was afraid to do so, because he thought that his yami would reject him, or abuse him even more. And that's why he got reincarnated at Ruki Bakutena, and you can guess what happened in the rest of the story," Reaper finished. Grim's eye twitched for a moment, but then she gave a little fake sneeze to cover it up.  
  
"And what of Bakura?" Gabriel asked. Grim shrugged.  
  
"He's still living on earth as far as we know, we haven't kept contact since then."  
  
Micheal started to say, "Alright then, let us vote now. Who thinks that Ryou should belong to heaven?"  
  
Then Gabriolis burst in, one hand helping an unsteady Bakura walk straight. Ryou whirled around in surprise, Reaper hid a delighted smile by pretending to be shocked, and Grim growled deep in her throat. The Micheal and Daniel looked slightly annoyed, and Gabriel stood up angrily and slammed a fist on the table.  
  
"Gabriolis, how many times have we told you to stop interrupting a judging?!"  
  
"Sorry Gabe," he replied wickedly, "but you did write a law, just for me, saying that if I have killed a mortal, then I must bring him here ASAP. So I'm just following the law."  
  
The blonde haired angel glared at him, but slowly sank back down into his chair and ordered the dark skinned to stand by Reaper, who immediately started whispering something to him, a broad grin lit upon her face. It was actually very funny to look at, because Reaper only managed to be as tall as his shoulders.  
  
Meanwhile Bakura seemed to get a bit stronger and managed to make it over to Ryou to give him a small kiss, wrapping an arm around him, whether it be for comfort or for support.  
  
"I told you I would be back," he whispered. Ryou blinked, then smiled and buried his face into his shoulder. Grim's eye was twitching freely now, and she had to excuse herself from the room. The archangel cleared his throat loudly to catch everyone's attention.  
  
"As I was saying before I was interrupted, who here thinks that Ryou should belong to heaven?"  
  
All four voices agreed, and Ryou was allowed to go outside, but he had to wait for Bakura to be dealt with. Ryou reluctantly left, but left it open a crack so that he could listen.  
  
"Reaper, you may go too, Ryou's judging is over," Micheal said, waving his hand away, but she shook her head.  
  
"I helped Bakura a little bit too, and he's my friend, I want to stay and watch."  
  
"Fine, do whatever you wish," Daniel said, an edge to his voice, like his tolerance and patience was wearing thin.  
  
"Now then, since it was Gabriolis who killed this mortal, we're on an entirely different way of handling things."  
  
Bakura looked aprihensive, and Reaper quickly explained as best as she could.  
  
"Gabriolis has the power to kill anyone, and a small side effect of sending anyone he has killed to hell. He killed you, and so that means that you must go to hell."  
  
"But innocent people were going there, and the angels were getting concerned, so they came up with the idea that if you can prove that you're worthy of heaven, then you won't burn in hell," the red haired angel said, and all of the supreme angels nodded.  
  
"You may start now."  
  
There was only silence as Bakura's mind thought quickly of reasons why he shouldn't go to hell. It was hard though, because he knew what he had done was bad, maybe even evil sometimes, and he probably should go to hell to burn, but it would probably be more agony to never get to see Ryou again.  
  
"Come on Bakura," Ryou breathed, his heart racing as he waited anxiously for someone to speak first.  
  
"I want, no, NEED to go to heaven, simply because of one reason," he finally answered.  
  
"And what might that be?"  
  
"Ryou," he said simply. All of the angels looked slightly interested.  
  
"Continue please."  
  
Bakura paused, then started speaking again. "Reaper or Grim might of told you about Ryou's past, about how I abused him every day. That's true, I admit that almost every night I abused him."  
  
Ryou's brow furrowed, what was Bakura doing? Telling them that could possibly send him down to hell!!  
  
"I guess it started when I got my own body, and I got this stupid notion that I was invincible now that I could do whatever I want, on my own. I hate relying on others, and when I saw Ryou, I-I wanted him to know the pain I felt. All of those years imprisoned within the Millennium Ring, were like torture. So I tortured him.  
  
I felt really guilty afterwards when I saw him lying on the floor, shaking and bruised in most places. But for some reason I also felt so powerful and good, and it was intoxicating. I wanted to stop, trust me I did, but...I couldn't controll it, that natural high was just so addicting.  
  
Soon it became a nightly ritual, sometimes for no reason, and sometimes for anything that pissed me off that day.  
  
But then I realized one day when I was by myself, that it was wrong hurting my innocent hikari like that. Then I also realized that I cared about him, and that I was falling for him. That fact only made me afraid, and soon that became another reason why I hurt him so badly. I was afraid of rejection, so I protected myself by distancing myself from him, and hurting him.  
  
I only hurt myself, having Ryou cringe in fear when I approached, making him bleed, causing him to commit suicide..." Bakura's head lowered down, ashamed and guilty. But after a moment, his head rose back up again, and he continued speaking.  
  
"But thanks to Reaper and Grim, they helped me change. They helped me realize that Ryou loves me back, and we can finally get what we both want, each other. So you see, I really do have to go to heaven. I don't want Ryou to cry because of me again."  
  
"They're soulmates," Reaper piped up, "and the law says that one soulmate cannot be in hell while the other is in heaven."  
  
The fourth angel, whose name was Joan, finally spoke. "Well then, I guess that means you'll get what you want, Bakura. Go on, walk with your soulmate to the gates of heaven."  
  
He bowed respectfully to them, and then quickly ran out to tell Ryou. Since his hikari already knew what had happened, he didn't expect Ryou to leap on him, wrapping his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards until he was leaning against a white marble wall, hardly noticing since he was being kissed so fiercely and passionately. They paused to catch their breath for a moment, then continued their steaming lip-lock.  
  
"Were you eavesdropping on us, Ryou?" Bakura finally said after his hikari decided to stop. Shyly Ryou nodded, and Bakura pretended to be disapproving.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, shame on you, hikari. For that you should be punished tonight, in my bedroom." He winked and smirked seductively, watching Ryou's face flushed pink.  
  
"But first, one good kiss deserves another..."  
  
Ryou didn't object when Bakura pinned him against the wall, roughly pressing soft lips against his. Bakura pressed himself closer to his warm body, mentally smirking when he heard his hikari moan when he rubbed his inner thighs.  
  
"Hey you two, this is a public place. I don't think most people would enjoy watching you two making out," a voice said, and Bakura broke away to glare at Grim. She shoved her hands into her jean jacket and sighed, looking at both of them straight in the eye. It was hard to look away from her silver gaze.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry about freaking out and separating you two. My therapist says that I'm too uptight about life and that I should forgive and forget. So, if you'd like, we could forget about the whole incident and start over. What do you think?"  
  
Bakura was about to say something rude, but Ryou elbowed him and gave him a look. Quickly he answered before Bakura could say anything else.  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
Grim smiled briefly, then turned around and sighed when she saw her sister chatting happily with a serious-face Gabriolis, and shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"I seriously don't know how she can stand to talk to that rebel. I would spend most of my time praying that he won't chop off my head."  
  
"Reaper, we should go soon!" she called out, and Reaper rolled her eyes. Gabriolis just smiled and patted her head, making her stick her tongue out at him.  
  
"Good-bye, little Reaper. I have to go too, duty calls. Don't kill yourself on the job, ok?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she called over her shoulder. "And stop calling me little!! I'm only a few hundred years younger than you!!"  
  
Quickly she caught up with her sister and the two pale boys, who were following the gold-winged angel outside. She greeted the angel with familiarity, and soon the two were talking about everyday affairs while Grim trailed behind them, and Bakura and Ryou were at the end, holding hands and just enjoying each other's company.  
  
Soon a gleaming gold gate came into view, open and welcoming. If you listened closely, you could hear a welcoming chorus of heavenly voices. Ryou wanted the twin sisters to go in with them for a moment, but Reaper politely refused.  
  
"We could if we wanted to, but we don't exactly have the greatest memories of being in heaven, and I'm sure there are several angels that wouldn't like to see us again. However, you two can come visit us whenever you want, you're always welcome."  
  
She kissed both Ryou and Bakura on the cheek, and Grim just simply smiled and said good-bye to them, waving to them as they slowly made their way to the golden gates.  
  
Bakura let out a small startled cry as something seemed to explode from his back when he walked through the gates. His eyes widened considerably when he saw that a pair of long elegant wings had ripped holes through his shirt, the feathers a dull silver color like pewter. Ryou, on the other hand, had wings that were the color of golden wheat that was ripe and ready for the harvest. They had a hint of glitter or something in them, and it suited Ryou perfectly.  
  
"You're perfect now," Bakura said in an awed-voice, but was shook out of it when Ryou timidly drew himself closer for a kiss.  
  
"So are you..."  
  
~ For all of eternity they stayed at each other's side, and there is nothing more to say, other than their love never faded or wavered once.~  
  
~!@#$%^&*)(_+  
  
AR: So this is the last chapter...and to all reviewers, thank u for reading!! Hope ur happy, VampssAmby10210!!!!!  
  
Diane: And to Demented Marik, yeah, I suppose Angel-chan did get a little sappy....no, a LOT sappy towards the end, (this chapter proves it) but she's a sucker for happy endings.  
  
AR: *whacks Diane* u are NOT helping at all, Diane. Anyway, that's how I am, I like to go angsty at the beginning, then give the story a decent ending. But one of these days I will do a full angst story, with a tragic ending to boot. Then maybe it'll get my friend Chaos Angel off my back...  
  
Diane: *glares at AR* It had better not be R/B...  
  
AR: *whistles innocently* I don't know what ur talkin' about, Diana-chan. Ja ne, minna-san!! 


End file.
